


Parental Instinct

by Bookwormgal



Series: Instinctively Family [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Atonement - Freeform, Axel Made Mistakes, Bad Things Happened In Radiant Garden, Blood, Bullying, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fight Scenes, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Friends as Family, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Heartless (Kingdom Hearts) - Freeform, Hugs, Isa (Kingdom Hearts) Has Issues, Lea/Axel Has Issues, Literal Sleeping Together, Magic and Science, Menstration, Nightmares, Panic, Parental/Big Brother Lea/Axel, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Love, Platonic Relationships, Protectiveness, Puberty, References To Experiments On Hearts, Regret, Riku Replica Lives, Roxas (Kingdom Hearts) Has Issues, Roxas and Xion Are Teenage Toddlers, Sea Salt Family (Kingdom Hearts), Separation Anxiety, Sora is Missing (Kingdom Hearts), Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III, The Talk, Twilight Town (Kingdom Hearts), Worldbuilding, Xion (Kingdom Hearts) Has Issues, not re:mind compliant, past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 51,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookwormgal/pseuds/Bookwormgal
Summary: The Keyblade War is over, Xehanort is gone, and bringing Sora back is going to take time and patience. And for the first time in their entire existences, Roxas and Xion don't have a mission. They finally have the chance to be regular kids with normal lives. And Lea is going to give that to them. He's going to give them everything that they deserve and that they've been denied. And he's going to help Isa now that his friend has his heart back.Lea nearly lost everything that he cared about once before. He's not going to make the same mistakes again. He's going to take this second chance. He can't be selfish this time. He'll be the friend that they deserve.
Relationships: Aqua & Terra & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Hayner & Olette & Pence & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Isa & Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Lea & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé & Riku Replica (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Instinctively Family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750927
Comments: 239
Kudos: 159
Collections: Sea-Salt Family Fics (KH)





	1. What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I actually started working on this chapter before I completely finished the first story. Not the smartest decision, but my brain was being a bit uncooperative. I think it needed a break from working on the Keyblade War portion of "Kingdom Hearts 3" and all the fight scenes. So yeah, I decided to work on this a little to get my brain working again. Which made it really hard to resist the urge to start posting this fic early.
> 
> Of course, it is possible that people will try reading this before finishing "Big Brother Instinct" anyway. Not like I can stop them. So… spoiler alert for both that fic and canon.
> 
> There are some differences between the canon ending of "Kingdom Hearts 3" and my canon divergence version of events. Some will be more immediately relevant than others. While Sora didn't have to run off to bring Kairi back at the end (because she is much harder to kidnap and/or murder this time around), he still ends up disappearing. Not at a beach party with everyone on the Destiny Islands, but pretty much immediately after they beat Xehanort. Saïx turns back into Isa and is currently in Radiant Garden because that whole "become a somebody again" thing is rough on a guy. Riku's replica did not fade from existence because neither Sora nor Riku would put up with that nonsense, so Naminé will have to wait a bit longer for a replica body of her own.
> 
> There are obviously other things that will be different from the canon game ending, but these are the things that are most immediately important. Hopefully you'll enjoy this glimpse of what happens after the Keyblade War in the series that now has a proper title: "Instinctively Family." Enjoy the story!

Lea had spent so much time and energy struggling and fighting to get his friends back, to find them and keep them safe, that he'd never had the chance to really consider what would come after. What they would do after he had them back and Xehanort and company were no longer a threat.

And now he'd done it. Roxas and Xion were alive, safe, and real. Isa was Isa again, even if he was currently in Radiant Garden under observations and being carefully monitored in case losing and regaining his heart _twice_ caused issues. And yes, he still had no clue where that girl from over a decade ago might be, but Lea felt comfortable enough to leave that issue on the back burner until a new lead showed up. And yes, Sora had pulled a disappearing act after apparently pulling one too many impossible stunts, but no one was giving up hope of finding a way to bring him back and Lea wouldn't be surprised if he just showed up perfectly fine with half a dozen new friends. With everyone working on that problem, there really wasn't much that Lea could do to help at the moment.

For now, he'd found every friend that he currently needed to bring back. And that left him with the huge realization that for the first time in he couldn't even guess how long, Lea had absolutely no plan or idea where to go from there. He had no goal, no scheme, no ruthless boss, and no mission assignments. All he had was a Keyblade and two teenage toddlers who needed him.

Roxas and Xion needed him. They needed him. Lea never even finished school, spending a good chunk of his formative years as a Nobody and Organization XIII's assassin, but now he needed to figure out how to take care of the kids properly. Because they deserved normal lives. Or at least as normal as a couple of formerly-Nobody Keyblade wielders who were physically young teenagers and chronologically toddlers could possibly be. Lea needed to figure out how to give them real lives beyond fighting and keeping creepy old guys from plunging everything into everlasting darkness.

And the first thing that real people with real lives needed was a home.

He asked them, the half-pints still tired and overwhelmed by everything. He asked them where they considered to be home. Or where they would want to _be_ their home. Because Lea would follow them anywhere. If they asked to stay in the Realm of Darkness, he would go. Though if they actually suggested they move there, he reserved the right to complain about it. But Roxas and Xion both said Twilight Town.

He really wasn't that surprised.

As part of the current working plan on searching for hints on how to get Sora back, everyone who ever spent time inside his heart would be spending the day at Radiant Garden. Being poked, prodded, and scanned in case there was still some form of connection that they could trace back to the missing Keyblade wielder. Most of the attention would be on Ventus, Roxas, and Xion since they'd lent Sora their strength before he disappeared. Though Lea thought he heard someone mention scanning Kairi too. And while part of him wanted to stay close to his half-pints, to keep them within his sight because some aching part of him kept whispering _what if they disappear again_ , Lea wasn't certain that he could handle going back to that lab again. Not so soon after last time.

But if he was doing something productive instead, then he wasn't being a coward. He needed to be the responsible adult. Regardless of how strange it was to think of himself in that manner. Taking care of practical matters was the right thing to do.

That didn't stop him from forcing Gummiphones into their hands and making Roxas and Xion promise to call him immediately if anything happened, good or bad. He would definitely have to thank Chip, Dale, and possibly Ienzo for building all those Gummiphones right before the confrontation at the Keyblade Graveyard. He also tried to take comfort in the fact that there would be other people there to keep an eye on everyone. Riku and his replica. Aqua, watching over both Ventus and Terra, who also needed to be checked over after his long and complicated possession. He didn't know Aqua very well yet, but she seemed to be the protective and maternal sort. None of them would let anything happen to his half-pints. They would be fine.

And Lea's reluctance to return to Radiant Garden in general and the secret lab specifically didn't stop him from giving Kairi a hug and even squeezing Riku on the shoulder before the group left Master Yen Sid's tower. They deserved to know that he had their backs too if they needed it.

Lea might have got his best friends back, but that didn't mean everyone else was that lucky. Yesterday's loss would be the roughest on those two.

The first obstacle toward Lea's new mission of giving the half-pints a chance at a normal life wasn't as big of a problem as it could have been. Despite dropping out of school as a teenager due to losing his heart and essentially conscripted into Organization XIII for a decade, Lea wasn't stupid. And he'd realized that with the exception of his sea-salt ice cream, there had been very little that the Nobodies could use munny for.

After all, they were supposed to avoid most people and that included shopping. And the one place where they were encouraged to buy items was set up on a point system dependent on how effective that they were at their missions. Only synthesizing required actual munny. The equipment, upgrades, and occasional potions were carefully controlled, ensuring that no one could get too much or grow too powerful. And to be honest, Roxas always spent more buying and synthesizing supplies from the Organization XIII Moogle than the rest of them. There had been no reason to collect and save very much munny in Organization XIII because it did them almost no good. The most reasonable thing would be to gather just enough to occasionally synthesize something useful.

But Lea wasn't stupid. Even as Axel, he recognized that not saving any munny ensured that he and Saïx would remain dependent on Organization XIII. And he'd always seen the group as a means to an end. They'd both squirreled away their resources. Items found in chests that he didn't need could be sold if he was careful about it. And Heartless tended to leave behind various bits of elemental material and even munny. Lea didn't want to think too closely about where that munny came from originally, but he figured that it either belonged to whoever they were _before_ becoming a Heartless or else the creatures accumulated it by attacking other victims. Regardless, Lea managed to hide a decent stash of munny over the years and now he finally had a reason to use it.

Leaving behind his black coat felt strange after wearing one for such a long time. In some ways, however, it felt good. Like he was leaving that part of his past behind and fully embracing his new life. But it was still felt strange not wearing the durable and thick material. It was familiar and memorable. And he hesitated before stepping through the dark corridor. He wasn't exactly comfortable risking his newly regained heart to the darkness so soon.

But the black coats for Organization XIII weren't exactly subtle. And he couldn't just hide in the shadows like he used to. He needed to interact with people and that meant blending in. He needed to wear something that didn't immediately draw attention. Something that didn't practically scream that he was untrustworthy and dangerous.

And if the fairies claimed that his new clothes would protect him from the darkness just as effectively as his black coat, he would just have to trust them. None of the others seemed to have issues with their outfits or the protective qualities. And they were at least semi-fashionable while complimenting the owners' preferences.

He didn't really have any complaints about the appearance of the clothes. Dark plaid shirt, black sleeveless jacket, a pair of durable dark maroon pants, and mid-calf leather boots all added up to something comfortable and practical that he could deal with, even if it was still strange to wear something new. The fairies did good work.

Though he did wonder about their recent obsession with plaid.

Twilight Town remained almost exactly how he'd remembered it. As the closest world to the World That Never Was, he'd spent a lot of time there over the years. And then, once he started the sea-salt ice cream routine with Roxas and later Xion, Lea spent even more time there. Even if it was only in the evenings and only on the clocktower.

The skies never strayed far from the time of day that gave the town its name. Golden light might shift towards reds and oranges before the sun slipped just barely below the horizon, leaving a rich shade of purple. But then the purples would return to the reds and oranges before melting back into the warm golden color. It never reached the black of complete night, the pinks of morning, nor the bright blue of midday. Just various shades of the different points of twilight. It existed on the edge of day and night, just as the world existed on the edge of light and darkness.

He knew the town, even with some minor recent changes. The clocktower had been built on the Central Station, the large train station that led to other districts of the city, out towards the countryside, and eventually a beach. The clocktower loomed over Station Plaza, which connected towards a neighborhood known as Station Heights. There were a few homes there and being relatively close to the clocktower had its appeal.

Lea also knew that Station Heights was part of the long, winding, and steep road called Market Street, which eventually led down to the Tram Common. Market Street also connected to the sandlot where they had their Struggle Tournament every year and where several kids and teenagers liked to practice. Furthermore, Market Street also connected to the back alley where the local kids had their hideout. The one under some of the train tracks. Any of the homes that were scattered around there would probably work out well. Roxas seemed to enjoy the Struggle Tournament in that data version of Twilight Town and Xion might like it. Assuming that the two of them could hold back enough to compete. Regardless, living near those familiar landmarks might encourage the kids to meet the locals a bit faster.

The Tram Common itself was more of a commercial neighborhood than a residential one, though there were still some people who lived there. Especially those who owned an apartment above their store. It was easier for him to see the changes there. One of the shops had been replaced by a fancy and expensive restaurant with a sign reading "Le Grand Bistrot" and an empty lot had been turned into an outdoor theater to watch silent movies. And the hole in the wall where it was easy to slip out to the forest and eventually towards the old mansion had finally been patched up. But mostly it remained an open-market area with a variety of different shops and a free tram circling around.

The old mansion itself was an option. It would take some work to make it habitable again and the hole in the wall being repaired made it harder to access than before. But it wouldn't cost any munny either. The place had essentially been abandoned and forgotten by everyone except adventurous teenagers wanting to scare themselves. The half-pints would have all the space that they could possibly want and could practice with their Keyblades outside without drawing any attention from the locals. But the big problem was the history of the place. It held too many unpleasant memories for Lea. Fighting both Xion and Roxas at separate points, both times his last encounters with the kids before they disappeared. And he couldn't imagine that their memories were any better. It would be easier to live somewhere else and avoid that entire minefield of potential issues.

Lea suspected that he would have better luck finding a place to live in Sunset Terrace. That district was more residential and tended to have larger apartments and homes. It was calmer and more peaceful. The biggest immediate problem was that it was away from the shops, the clocktower, and the more familiar parts of Twilight Town. To reach Sunset Terrace, they would either have to take a train from Central Station over to Sunset Station or they would have to walk through the Underground Concourse. Or they could take dark corridors, but that would involve making certain that they were wearing protective clothes that day. But on the other hand, it was a nice area and watching the trains on Sunset Hill might be as relaxing as sitting on the clocktower.

The half-pints might prefer living farther away from the bustle and noise of the more central locations. The World That Never Was couldn't exactly be described as a crowded place and Destiny Islands was pretty laid back. They might find the Sunset Terrace to be a better fit.

His original plan, as much as he'd actually planned things, was to find several places that were currently for sale or rent. Then he would go through and see which ones would suit their needs and that he could afford with his current stockpile of munny. Lea would fix up a list of possibilities. Then, on a later day, he would bring back Roxas and Xion and get their opinions on whichever ones that he'd narrowed it down to.

But after searching the newspaper and the various bulletin boards for listings and finding a few possibilities, Lea stumbled onto a slight hitch in that plan. He had munny. But he had no form of identification or any type of legal paperwork that would be valid in Twilight Town. Any proof that he existed as a person would be in Radiant Garden, assuming that it wasn't lost when the world fell to darkness. And unlike the people of Radiant Garden, Twilight Town was still ignorant about the existence of other worlds. He could already hear Donald screeching "world order" in his barely-coherent voice.

He couldn't just tell them that his birth certificate and all school records might have been destroyed when the Heartless attacked and that he didn't have a credit history because he spent his entire adult life as a Nobody. And the majority of the people with a property on the market didn't want to sell or rent a home to a stranger without any form of ID. Or if they did, then the price suddenly shot up in response to the perceived "risk" of such a "shady" buyer.

Though the experience did remind Lea that he would need to find someone to forge some paperwork concerning Roxas and Xion. Specifically, paperwork that would be valid in Twilight Town.

It felt like the entire day had been a waste of time. Lea was about two minutes away from just leaving entirely and postponing the search until he could figure out who could fix up some fake IDs for him. He suspected that Ienzo, Ansem, or Even could do the job if necessary, but they would probably be busy trying to figure out how to bring Sora back and then crafting a replica body for Naminé. Assuming that Even wasn't still unconscious since he apparently was the slowest at recovering from the destruction of his Nobody and reforming as a person based on previous experience. And assuming that Even would want anything to do with Lea.

But before Lea could give up and head back, he spotted an older woman pinning a new sheet of paper to the bulletin board. And some stubborn part of him compelled him to try one last time.

Gina, it turned out, was a bit more open-minded than the other people that he'd talked to all day. She looked old enough to be someone's young grandmother, her brown hair showing streaks of grey, but her personality seemed more like someone's adventurous aunt. The type who never settled down and had no interest in raising children herself, but would happily spoil her nieces and nephews when she visited. And it turned out that she loved to talk to people.

Gina was the type of person that polite people called eccentric. She was someone spontaneous and willing to take risks. Risks such as opening up a boutique in the Tram Common years ago where she sold and did custom alterations for dresses, suits, and other formalwear. The older building had been neglected for some time before that and had more space than she could possibly use, but Gina decided that was where she wanted her shop to be. She built her business from the ground up, investing everything that she had and managing to come out on top.

And she later took other risks. Such as recently renovating the building to give the first floor larger windows to display her work and deciding to continue renovations further, turning the unused second and third floors of the building into apartments to rent out for extra income. And since she'd managed to apparently buy the place at a lower price before the new restaurant and other changes in recent years had increased the property values, her asking price turned out to be a lot lower than most of the other apartments in the area. It was only luck that Lea found her and her flyers before someone else did.

Of course, that also meant that he couldn't risk waiting to see what Roxas and Xion thought about the place. Not if he didn't want someone else making an offer first. But when she showed him the apartment and it matched the short list of requirements that he'd been searching for earlier in the day, he knew that he wasn't going to find anything better and took the deal. Gina left him in the empty apartment while she went down to get some paperwork.

Even if she was willing to let the lack of identification slide, he apparently still needed to sign a few things.

Lea picked a wall and leaned against it, sighing tiredly. A few things were still aching from all the recent fighting. He was pretty certain that Ansem would have preferred that he take it easy instead of running all over Twilight Town. But this was something that he needed to do. And it wasn't like Lea was good at following advice anyway. Leaning against the wall and relaxing a moment helped though.

He pulled out his Gummiphone and stared at it. He wanted to call Roxas and Xion to check on how they were doing. But if it was anything like when they were scanning Sora's heart, there was a decent chance that they were sleeping through the process. He could try calling Kairi or Riku to see if they could fill him in on what was happening, but yesterday had been hard on them and Lea didn't want to push things just yet. He considered trying Aqua or Ventus and having one of them update him on the situation, but his mind finally drifted to another possibility.

Lea didn't even know if he had a Gummiphone yet, but Ienzo, Chip, Dale, and Jiminy were passing the things out like crazy. He had a feeling that anyone who was on the guardian's side for more than five minutes would have one. It was at least worth a try.

Lea poked at the device for a couple minutes before finding a way to contact him. Thank goodness for databases that automatically updated since there was only a limited number of Gummiphones anyway. It was much more convenient than having to manually update the thing every time that they added someone new.

The Gummiphone rang a few times before someone answered. And Lea couldn't help smiling at the familiar face looking back at him in surprise. Especially when he saw green eyes instead of that gut-wrenching shade of yellow.

"Hey, Isa," he said quietly. "How're you doing? I'm guessing that they aren't crowding you too much if they're busy checking over the kids today."

"Lea." Giving a short nod of greetings on the screen, Isa continued, "They've come to check on me a few times, but you're right. The others have been spending most of the day in the lab. I've been keeping my distance. I didn't think that it would be wise to force my presence on any of them quite yet. Especially not Roxas or Xion."

And because Isa probably didn't feel any more comfortable in that lab than Lea did. But he was right. Roxas and Xion might have agreed to give Isa a chance, but it would be hard to forget how Saïx treated them and it might be better for their first reintroduction to have Lea there to serve as a buffer.

"But you're doing okay? No unexpected problems?" asked Lea.

"I'm… Physically, I am feeling better. My previous weakness and exhaustion have mostly passed. While certainly not comfortable, my recompletion doesn't seem to be causing me any more issues than my previous experience." Pausing a moment, Isa added, "I did speak with Even earlier. He claims that reforming after his destruction via a Keyblade was easier and a preferable process to having his Nobody destroyed by a different method. Fewer lingering traces of damage and he is recovering more quickly. Since I met my fate at the hands of a Keyblade wielder on both occasions, I have nothing to compare it to and will have to take his word on the matter."

Lea tried to ignore the guilt that briefly washed over him. It wasn't as if he and Vexen were ever close. Not to mention it was over very quickly. But having a heart sometimes meant feeling bad about incinerating fellow members of the Organization. He wasn't certain if he felt worse about that death or when he used the Riku replica to strangle Zexion. Neither event was exactly his finest moment. And even if the destruction of their Nobodies helped reunite them with their hearts, he knew that it couldn't have been a pleasant way to go. His own demise wasn't exactly fun, but at least it was on his own terms.

He should probably apologize to Even at some point too.

"Good to hear that you're doing better, Isa," he said. "And how does it feel to have your own heart back? And more importantly, _not_ have some weird old guy's heart jammed in you?"

"It's… an adjustment." His words came out slow and deliberate. "You were right that the emotions feel a bit overwhelming right now. It makes me thankful to have some peace and quiet to come to terms with things. Other than checking on Even briefly, I've mostly been keeping to the bedroom that they provided."

Giving him an encouraging smile, Lea said, "It'll get easier. Promise. And don't isolate yourself too much. You've got a whole castle of people who know what it feels like to suddenly feel a lot of strong emotions after a decade as a Nobody. They should be able to help. And Even, Ienzo, and even Ansem should be able to make sure that you're recovering the way that you should. They'll give you check ups and everything."

"I'm sure you were eager to turn yourself over to their care, Lea," he said dryly.

He couldn't help it. Lea laughed at the sarcastic comment. It was a small thing, but it felt so much like the Isa that he grew up with. He couldn't even describe how much he missed his friend.

After a couple moments, Lea said, "To be fair, I was a little busy right after. You know, trying to find you, keeping Sora from ending up Xehanort's new puppet, and trying to figure out how to summon a Keyblade. Those things are not nearly as cooperative as you might think. At least, it wasn't at the start. I'll have to tell you about some of the training I did with Kairi. For a Princess of Heart, that girl can be vicious when she's sparring."

"I could tell. She was difficult to contain as a prisoner _before_ she began wielding a Keyblade. When I fought her yesterday, she demonstrated a surprising amount of skill for how long she's been training."

Trying to brush past the issue of the events of the day before, Lea rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeah, there was a weird time thing going on. Merlin fixed it up. We were training and practicing somewhere that time didn't really work right. So we actually trained a lot longer than you'd think." Then, looking away from the screen, Lea added, "But listen… I'm currently getting a place in Twilight Town. Roxas and Xion like this world and after everything that's happened, they need a place to stay. Somewhere they can be a bunch of kids like we were back in Radiant Garden. But that doesn't mean I'm leaving you behind. I'm _not_. And I need you to promise me something. If you need me, you call me immediately. I don't care what time it is or what I'm doing. You call me, Isa. And I'll be there. You're still one of my best friends. I'm not abandoning any of you. And since you have a Gummiphone, you have no excuse not to call me if something happens or if you just need to talk or whatever. And if you need more than to talk, I don't have to wait for a Gummi Ship. I'll make this work. And maybe over time, things will smooth out enough that everyone can at least be friendly together."

"I should applaud your optimism," he said. Then, a little quieter and suddenly looking a lot more tired than before, Isa said, "I've missed that. I missed _you_. And… I'm grateful that you didn't die. When they said you were…"

"Hey," said Lea, interrupting the darker mood that was settling over his friend, "you're not getting rid of me that easily. I still had things to do. Friends to drag back. And I'm just letting you know, if you _hadn't_ shown back up with your heart afterwards, I'd find a way to get you back anyway. You're not allowed to disappear on me either."

"I believe you. If you managed to regain Roxas and Xion, even when you had no memory of her existence and had no reason to be looking for her, then I'm certain that you would have found a way to retrieve me regardless of the circumstances."

"You bet I would have." Shifting slightly, Lea said, "I better let you rest some more. I'm sure one of the mad scientists will try to poke at you before long. And I should probably see what's taking the lady so long with the paperwork. Oh, and since you'll probably see him before I will, ask Ienzo if he or one of the others can try to fix up some fake birth certificates and stuff for Roxas and Xion. And probably me too since I don't think Twilight Town's versions look the same as Radiant Garden's."

"I'll pass the message along. Be careful, Lea."

"Come on. How much trouble could I get into around here?"

"Do you truly want me to answer that?"

Laughing lightly, Lea finally ended the call. It took longer for the smile to leave his face. While Isa had always been more reserved than him, he was already showing a lot more of his old self. Willing to tease and be snarky back at Lea without it turning cold or sharp-edged. He'd missed that.

He stared at the Gummiphone as he absently rubbed at his chest, wincing at the lingering pain of still-healing wounds. He still wanted to call Roxas or Xion. It felt wrong to have them out of his sight for too long.

Lea knew that they were both with people who would look out for them and protect them. And he knew that they were more than capable of protecting themselves. He knew that they should be safe.

But being away from them so soon, after already losing them once and barely getting them back, felt wrong. His chest ached in a way that had nothing to do with previous injuries. There was a tightness there. And the more he thought about how far away they were and how _easy_ it would be for them to disappear, perhaps yanked away by their connection to the missing Sora, the harder that it was to breathe.

But they were fine. Lea forced himself to remember that as he reluctantly put away his Gummiphone. He knew they would be fine. They were safe. He would see them soon. And if anything happened, there were multiple Keyblade wielders present. And even if he wasn't down in the lab with everyone, Isa was in the same castle. No one would let the half-pints disappear again. He didn't need to call them in the middle of everything. He didn't need to interrupt their efforts to trace the connections to Sora and bring the kid home. Lea just needed to get everything ready and then he could meet them at Master Yen Sid's tower that evening. Everything would be fine. _They_ would be fine.

"I'm sorry that I took so long," said Gina, coming through the door. "The paperwork somehow ended up in my pile of orders. I'm usually much more organized than that."

"No problem." He pushed himself away from the wall, appreciating the distraction. "It wasn't that bad of a wait."

"All right, let's see… Basic appliances come with the apartment. Stove, oven, microwave oven, fridge, the washer and dryer combo set… They can stack on each other to save space," she said, repeating some of the points that she'd mentioned earlier.

She passed over her handful of papers to him. Lea knew that everything she was explaining was already in the contract. That didn't stop him from reading it over anyway. Just in case she missed something or forgot to mention it. He didn't want any surprises.

"I've listed the deposit and the monthly rent. Water and electricity are a flat fee included as part of the rent. I don't have the patience to figure out it out and adjust it each individual month, so don't worry if you want to take a longer shower or something occasionally. No one's lived here yet and I just finished remodeling these floors, which means everything should be in good working order for quite some time. I'll cover the cost of general maintenance and repairs. Unless you've tried something especially dumb and you broke something as a result. If that happens, that'll come out of the deposit."

Gina gestured vaguely towards the walls as Lea flipped to the next page of the prepared renter's contract. The legalese was giving him a bit of a headache, but he could mostly understand it.

Sort of.

A little bit.

Yeah, he'd never really considered things like the cost of water, electricity, and a deposit before. They didn't come up working as the Organization's assassin. Today had been a hard lesson in exactly how little that he actually knew about these types of responsibilities. Turns out that being a Nobody for over a decade didn't actually prepare you at all for adult life. Who knew?

"They painted everything a pretty neutral color when they finished remodeling. Though I admit it also makes the place a bit boring. But I have no problem if you want to repaint, hang up some pictures up, or something. I just ask that you talk to me before you start knocking down walls or putting new ones up. And the walls of this building were already pretty thick even before the remodel, so noise shouldn't be too much of an issue. I remember being young and how loud I could get; I made certain that they did a good job with the soundproofing. Whenever someone rents out the neighboring apartment or the two downstairs, you shouldn't have to worry too much about disturbing them if you and your family get a little rambunctious. You mentioned that you had kids?"

"Yeah, I'm taking care of a couple of teenagers," he said, avoiding the complicated discussion of their physical ages versus their chronological ones. "I sort of stumbled into looking after them. It's a long story."

She smiled and said, "Well, it was still nice of you to take them in like that. I look forward to running into them sometime after you move in. Hopefully they'll like their bedrooms and don't argue too much over who gets the one closest to the bathroom. I remember that fight with my sister when we moved when I was twelve. I didn't speak to her for almost a week."

"Nah," he said with a small chuckle. "I don't think either of them will fight over something like _that_."

"What are their names?"

Lea smiled and said, "Roxas and Xion."

* * *

Xion opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the grogginess and the glare. Standing in front of her was Ansem the Wise and Ienzo, watching her reactions carefully. She wasn't completely certain that she enjoyed the feeling of being someone's scientific project. And while she didn't hate Ansem the Wise the same way that Roxas did, when he wasn't wrestling with his uncomfortable gratitude for his help when Lea needed it, Xion wasn't exactly comfortable around him either. Her limited experience with him during his time as DiZ wasn't the most pleasant, but it wasn't the worst treatment that she'd ever received either. She didn't really know Ienzo that well either; Zexion had left for Castle Oblivion back in those hazy early days before she'd even started going on missions or speaking.

But she could put all of that aside. Ienzo had been nothing except nice to her since she returned to existence, even reassuring her that she wouldn't harm Roxas like before. And whatever mistakes that he might have made as DiZ, Ansem seemed determined to make up for them. But most importantly, she was sitting in the chair in the lab and letting them scan her heart for a very good reason.

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, no."

Xion looked past the others. For a second, she thought it was Riku who answered. But then she noticed the difference in height and hair length and mentally corrected herself. It was Riku's replica, standing over a different chair holding Kairi. Arms crossed and expression serious, he shook his head slowly.

Of the three chairs, she and Roxas were just waking up in their own. Ventus had already climbed out and was being looked over by the rather protective Aqua and Terra, which had clearly allowed Kairi to claim his chair. The more experienced trio of Keyblade wielders had withdrawn to a corner of the lab and were apparently telling Ventus the news themselves.

Riku wasn't in the lab anymore. He must have left after finding out that it didn't work.

"The connections between Sora's heart and the hearts of you, Roxas, and Ventus might have been strong before," said Ienzo slowly. "Strong enough that the three of you could share your strength with him for a time. But now… those connections are too faint for us to properly detect. That might be simply the result of whatever state his heart is in or whatever his location might be. Or perhaps it was an instinctive measure to keep the three of you from continuing to share your strength with him until all four of you disappeared instead of just him. Or perhaps those connections are simply something that our current equipment cannot measure. We cannot be certain without more information."

Ansem gestured towards the other chair and continued, "We are checking Kairi's heart as well in case her status as a Princess of Heart and the complete lack of darkness makes a difference, but I suspect that we will encounter similar results. At the very least, we can get some baseline scans of her heart that should aid us when the time comes to restore Naminé."

"But right now," said Roxas, climbing out of his own chair, "you have no clue how to find Sora or get him back."

Hesitating a moment, Ansem the Wise shook his head slowly. Xion could practically feel the mood in the room dropping.

"Not at the moment. But we have not yet exhausted all possible avenues available to us," he said.

Taking a step forward, one hand drifting up to her chest, Aqua said, "We can search through the library in the Land of Departure. There are ancient tomes of the past, filled with knowledge about hearts, Keyblades, and those who wield them. Perhaps there will be something that we can use to help Sora there."

"If you wish to share the knowledge of those ancient scholars, I would be honored," said Ansem. "Naminé offers yet another possibility. She has the power to influence the heart and specifically the memories of Sora and those who are connected to him. Perhaps after she is restored, she will be able to trace the connections to him in a way that we currently cannot."

"Unfortunately, it will take time to prepare her a body." Ienzo glanced back towards Kairi. "With Even's return and his research, we should be able to craft a replica for her. But it isn't the fastest process. Not if we want one that is stable and nearly indistinguishable from a normal human body. It is delicate work and some things are not worth the risk of rushing."

Xion knew that far too well. She had been one of the earlier models originally. And saying that there had been problems would be an understatement. She was meant to absorb some of Roxas's abilities. Enough to wield the Keyblade. But she'd kept absorbing more and more power and memories. She was broken in a way that no one could fix and the only way that she could stop it before her existence destroyed Roxas…

No. Naminé deserved better. She deserved a proper body that wouldn't end up broken, dangerous, and doomed to inevitable destruction.

She shivered, clasping her hands together in front of her. Xion didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about the possibility of her new body being flawed in some way. She didn't want to think about how it could break down or turn against her too. She didn't want to think about the idea that _she_ was the problem and not her replica body, that she was doomed to the same destructive cycle. She didn't want to think about how something could go wrong with her and she might disappear again.

That wouldn't happen. She was stable this time. Ienzo even did scans before and said that she was no different than any other _real_ girl.

"How long?" asked Riku's replica, still staring at Kairi. "You said it will take time, but how _much_ time? How long until Naminé can be restored?"

His voice solemn and grave, Ansem the Wise said, "Months. Several months. I cannot give you a more exact estimation since the replicas are Even's creation, not mine. I can only go off of his research. But perhaps I am overestimating the necessary time. I will ask him for a more accurate timeframe once he has recovered a bit more from his experiences."

The replica's face showed a flash of frustration before settling into resignation. He gave Kairi one last look before taking a step away from her. Something about the tired, lonely, and miserably accepting look on his face made Xion approach him cautiously. She wanted to say something. She wanted to help. Mostly because she didn't like seeing anyone in that state, but it was more than that. He was the only other replica that she'd ever met. There was a connection between them.

"Do… you have a name?" she asked quietly.

Glancing up at her in surprise, he said, "Not my own. Not before. I've always been called Riku. Because that's who I thought I was at first. But I've been considering something that Sora suggested. A new name."

"Did you pick one?" asked Ienzo.

Riku's replica looked towards him, but didn't meet his eyes. And Ienzo took an involuntary step back when the replica turned his attention in his direction. Xion didn't know why, but there seemed to be an uncomfortable tension between the two of them. There was some unknown and unpleasant history lingering over them. She could see guilt from the replica and unease and maybe a faint thread of fear from Ienzo.

But at least they didn't seem as bad as Roxas and Ansem. The only reason that she believed that Roxas hadn't literally attacked the man at some point since their return was because he helped save Lea. That had earned the man a shaky truce.

"I did pick a name," said the replica slowly. "Kiru."

After a moment of consideration, Roxas said, "That's not bad."

"Then it is nice to properly meet you, Kiru," said Xion. "And don't worry. Naminé will be with us soon enough. We'll just have to be patient until Vex– _Even_ can make her a new body. And it's better to take some time than to risk making her a body that isn't stable." Xion shook her head, not letting those fears about her own existence gain any ground. "And you're not the only one who would like to see her again. She was nice when we met, even if what she told me was upsetting. And when she's here, she might be able to help us get Sora back."

"Though that isn't the only reason that we want her back," reassured Roxas quickly.

"And while you wait, you can get things ready for her," she continued.

"Exactly," said Aqua from her spot next to Ventus. "I've heard a little bit about your histories, Kiru. And I know that you both came from… unusual backgrounds. Do you or Naminé have a place to stay? Clothes other than the ones that you're wearing right now? A home?"

Xion was actually thinking about getting Naminé some ice cream to welcome her back, but Aqua was raising some good points too.

Kiru's fist briefly squeezed shut before relaxing. He didn't look completely comfortable as the center of attention, but he seemed to be considering their suggestions. And he looked calmer. More thoughtful than his earlier frustrations.

"Riku told me that," he said slowly, "I could come back to the Destiny Islands with him. He said I could stay with his family. Or maybe at Sora's house until he's back." Kiru shifted slightly on his feet. "I don't know if that would work out long term and I don't know if Naminé would want to stay on the Destiny Islands. We both remember living there, but we never actually did."

Xion could certainly relate to the problems of remembering events from a life that didn't belong to her. The strange disconnect. Feeling that something was both familiar and foreign at the same time. And the desire for something that truly belonged solely to her.

"You're right," he continued. "I should use this time to make preparations for Naminé's arrival. She deserves to have a proper home." Kiru smiled slightly. "Perhaps I could also find her a set of colored pencils and a new sketchbook. She loves to draw."

Giving the replica a considering look as he straightened up, Terra asked, "How long have you wielded a Keyblade, Kiru?"

"Since yesterday."

Terra glanced towards Aqua. There was some form of silent communication taking place. She knew exactly what he was thinking and seemed to agree with his idea. Xion could tell. That type of deep understanding of each other without needing words seemed like a sign of a close and enduring friendship.

"You don't have to accept," said Terra carefully, "but you could come with us back to the Land of Departure if you want. It was always meant to be a safe haven for Keyblade wielders. That includes you."

Nodding, Aqua added, "And it is the responsibility of Keyblade masters to teach the next generation of wielders. It is only right for us to offer you those teachings. You wouldn't have to learn all on your own. We could give you formal and structured training from the start." She paused a moment with a slight frown. "Though we might need to adjust things from what we were taught. Recent events have revealed that Master Eraqus's teachings weren't always correct and that his views on light and darkness were… imperfect."

"I… May I think about it?" asked Kiru, looking a little overwhelmed.

"Of course. The offer has no time limit," said Terra. "You are under no obligation either way."

Looking up from the equipment with a heavy sigh, Ansem said, "I am having no better luck at tracing a connection between Kairi's heart and Sora than we did with the others. It would seem that Naminé remains our best hope to locate the boy."

"Then it's up to her," said Riku as he stepped back into the room. "And she's never let us down yet."

* * *

Lea found his half-pints sitting on the bed in their borrowed room when he returned to Master Yen Sid's tower. Not even finding a place to live had spelled the end of his day. The apartment didn't come furnished, so Lea spent the rest of the day scouring various second-hand and discount stores for the more immediately necessities. Including furniture. His larger purchases were due for delivery the next day. He'd also found a few smaller basics. Very simple and plain bedding, towels, and such. More personalized and better quality versions could be picked out later. For now, he was focusing on the bare essentials to get them started.

Which was why Lea was carrying a small bag of clothes. Plain white t-shirts and loose-fitting, soft, and comfortable black shorts. He'd bought a set for each of them, perfectly identical except for the fact his were much larger. It would give Roxas and Xion something to wear that wouldn't draw attention the same way their black coats would. They would work at least until they could go clothes shopping for themselves. And as an added bonus, the t-shirt and shorts combo were comfortable enough to be used afterwards as pajamas.

"Ienzo called earlier," he said, sitting down next to them. "No luck?"

Shaking his head, Roxas said, "They think that Naminé might be able to find him, but it'll take a while to make her a replica body. So everyone is stuck waiting."

"I doubt everyone will just sit around doing nothing the whole time," said Lea. "They'll be poking around the different worlds looking for clues in their spare time. I guarantee it."

Xion smiled slightly and said, "I do think I heard Riku mention to Kairi that he was thinking of doing some searching on the weekends while waiting for Naminé's return."

Leaning over to look at the bag, Roxas asked, "What's in there?"

"Surprises for tomorrow. Which is why I'm not telling," teased Lea. "You'll have to wait and see."

Scowling playfully, he complained, "No fair."

Giggling, Xion leaned over and wrapped her arms around Roxas. He started laughing as he tried to shrug her off. Lea took the opportunity to drop the bag on the floor and shove them back on the mattress, earning him twin yelps of surprise. He dodged their flailing hands to snatch up a pillow to lightly smack them a couple of times. The startled squeaks and laughter made Lea grin. The pair scrambled back upright, now with messier hair.

The play-fighting came to a sudden halt as they tried to tackle him down on the mattress too. Lea couldn't help the sudden gasp and wince from the sharp stab of pain to his ribs. He was healing, but not fully healed yet. The impact had agitated his injuries. The pair immediately scrambled back with guilty expressions as he recovered from the worst of it.

"I'm sorry," said Roxas quickly, eyes wide with worry. "I'm so sorry, Axel."

Looking equally horrified by their actions, Xion asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," said Lea, sitting up slowly. "It just caught me by surprise. That's my own fault. Shouldn't have tried roughhousing yet."

He was doing better. He honestly was. The actual lacerations were essentially healed over enough that bleeding was no longer an issue, though he was clearly adding another four scars to his current collection. Right next to the starburst burn scars on his sternum from his fiery destruction as a Nobody and higher up and on the opposite side from the rather ugly scar from Saïx's claymore. He'd honestly had too many death- and near-death experiences to be entirely healthy. But while the cuts were nearly gone, the colorful bruises and battered ribs would take longer. Especially after Saïx managed to hit him hard before banishing his weapon. That probably set things back a bit.

"I'm still sorry," said Roxas.

Reaching over to squeeze his shoulder, Lea said, "Don't worry about it. You know me. I'm tough."

That caused some relieved chuckles. Then he pulled them over in a careful hug. They might not have indulged in a lot of physical affection during their time in the Organization beyond some playful shoves and such, but there was something comforting about getting to hold his half-pints close. Holding them close and knowing that they were safe, real, and alive. Maybe someday he would get used to the idea that he had them both back. Maybe someday he wouldn't feel immediately calmer just by hugging the pair tight. But for now, Lea would enjoy the warmth and twin heartbeats that meant that Roxas and Xion hadn't disappeared again.

"We have a lot of things to sort out still," said Lea. "But tomorrow we'll head over to Twilight Town for that surprise."

Xion frowned thoughtfully and asked, "Didn't you say the surprise was in the bag?"

"It's a two-part surprise," he said, reluctantly ending the embrace. "And if you want to know more, you'll have to wait until morning. Until then, I'm grabbing some sleep."

In the past, that would be the cue for Roxas and Xion to tease him about wasting his time napping. But their overprotectiveness that emerged after his most recent near-death experience hadn't quite ended after the Keyblade War. Which meant there were no complaints about him getting more rest. Hopefully their worry over him would fade with time. He almost missed the jokes about his sleeping patterns.

Lea claimed a spot in the center of the mattress as Roxas turned off the lights. Then the two half-pints curled up on either side of him just as he managed to snag the blanket for them. And, making a mental note to add proper blankets to the list of things to get and not just the sheets that he'd already bought, Lea closed his eyes and settled down to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Riku's replica did follow Sora's suggestion and just rearrange the letters of Riku's name to come up with one for himself (without adding the X). And fun fact. "Kiru" is apparently a Japanese word meaning "to cut," possibly with the specific nuance of "to kill with a blade." Considering that the first time we meet the character, he's fighting with a sword… Yep, the name fits.
> 
> And look at Lea trying to be a responsible adult and do all the adulting things while having no real clue what he's doing. He is just so lucky that Gina is taking pity on his poor soul. But he's doing his best because he's going to give the half-pints the life that they deserve.


	2. Moving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad that people seem to already be enjoying the start of a new fic. I've got some interesting plans in mind for this story and I'm excited to see what you guys think. Not as much direct action and fight scenes as the previous story, but plenty of domestic stuff mixed with their various traumas. Oodles of fun.

It was strange seeing Axel— _Lea_ wearing anything other than the familiar black coat. He was still mostly wearing dark colors, but it was still an unexpected change. He'd always worn the black coat from the moment that Roxas could remember. Because that's what they'd always worn in Organization XIII. And wearing something different was a firm statement that none of them were there any longer. A clear sign that he was no longer the Nobody that they first met. Roxas didn't know if he was comfortable with the idea of their friend being someone different, but Lea didn't behave that much differently than Axel. A little more open, but it was still him. Regardless of what he decided to wear, he was still their friend.

Putting on different clothes himself was equally strange. The only time that Roxas remembered wearing anything other than his own black coat was when he was trapped in the fake version of Twilight Town. But Lea pulled out some plain white t-shirts and black shorts from his bag at part one of the surprise. Light, soft fabrics that didn't offer protection against the darkness, but were still intriguing in their own way.

What immediately followed was a brief explanation from Lea. About how clothes were for more than protection from dark corridors. About not changing clothes in front of other people. And about how different worlds had different standards of decency. Which was why Donald didn't have to wear pants, the Beast didn't have to wear a shirt, and why Phil didn't wear anything even though everyone else in Olympus apparently did. But apparently places like Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, and Destiny Islands had strong opinions about human-looking people wearing proper amounts of clothing. Which Roxas kind of knew from his time in the data version of the town, but he hadn't really thought too much about it.

Honestly, it was simpler when the only rule about clothes was to wear their black coats at all times for protection. But the two of them listened to Lea's explanation and then put on their new clothes. They slipped their black coats on over the t-shirt and shorts briefly to travel through the dark corridor, but only until they reached Twilight Town. Then they went into the now-empty bag. Leaving all three of them in more normal clothes.

The outfits weren't the only thing that made the situation feel strange and almost unreal. Being back in Twilight Town itself seemed like a dream. Or perhaps another illusion. Roxas tried to bury the sickening feeling in his stomach, the gnawing doubt that he was still trapped in that simulation. It didn't make any sense; the fake Twilight Town wouldn't include Lea and Xion with him or his intact memories of the Organization, Sora, and the Keyblade War. But his mind couldn't help whispering _what if_ …

But as long as he could ignore that quiet doubt, it was nice to be back in the quiet and familiar town. The warm colors, the distant chimes from the clocktower, and the faint sounds of the trains in the distance brought a smile to his face. Not all of his memories of the place were good. That final fight against Xion, everything to do with the fake Twilight Town… But there were far more good memories. He could practically taste the sea-salt ice cream.

"So other than the new clothes," he said slowly, "what's the other surprise?"

Grinning as he led them towards Tram Common, Lea said, "You'll see. And be nice to Gina when you meet her."

"Who is Gina?" asked Xion.

Gesturing at the three-story building ahead of them, he said, "She owns the place."

Roxas studied their destination. It was mostly a brick building with a few windows scattered on the upper floors, though the entire front of the first floor was glass to reveal a storefront. He could make out a few dresses inside, which told him what kind of merchandise it sold. Roxas briefly considered the idea that Lea had brought them there to find more clothes, but he didn't lead them towards the front entrance. Instead, he guided them down the side of the building towards a door near the back of the structure.

"Where are we going?" asked Roxas.

"Just wait and see."

Inside was a staircase that wove back and forth, another door that undoubtedly led back into the store, and a line of boxes with numbers and letters on them. Lea headed up the stairs with no hesitation. Roxas noticed that on both the second and third floor, there were two doors each. And each door had a letter and a number, the combinations matching the boxes on the first floor. Lea finally stopped on the third floor in front of a door labeled "3B."

"Where _are_ we, Axel?" he asked.

Opening the door, he said, "Our new home."

Roxas and Xion stepped inside slowly, staring in startled silence. The main room that they first entered was a relatively large space, though that impression might be partially from the place being empty and painted white. The right side of the room seemed to be the kitchen. The entire wall seemed to consist of counters, cabinets, and appliances while also hosting the only windows in the room. Roxas spotted a refrigerator, a stove, an oven, a sink, and even a microwave that rested above the oven. And on the far side of the room next to the entrance of a hallway was a washing machine and dryer.

"They'll be delivering a couch for the other half of the room," said Lea, gesturing towards the empty space. "And a table and chairs. They're used, but in good shape. They should be here in a couple of hours. The beds, mattresses, and wardrobes since the bedrooms don't have individual closets will be here then too. Those are all cheap, but new. We can work on getting more or better furniture later. I just wanted to get the basic necessities first."

Still trying to wrap his head around it, Roxas kept exploring with Xion. The hallway had five rooms on the right and what looked like a couple of closets on the left. The first room seemed to be a bathroom, the tub half hidden by a shower curtain just as white as the rest of the apartment. The next four rooms seemed to be intended as bedrooms. Long, narrow, painted white, and each one with at least single window that let in a warm golden-orange light from outside, the rooms seemed smaller than the ones in the Castle That Never Was or the illusionary one that Roxas had in the fake Twilight Town. But there was space for a bed, a wardrobe, and maybe a desk or a shelf if they didn't mind things ending up a little crowded.

"There's one more thing," said Lea. "This apartment has something that the others in the building don't. I think you'll like it."

At the end of the hall, right near a window that Roxas's mental map told him overlooked the front of the building, was a gap where it almost seemed like there should be another closet. Instead, there was a bit of extra space. Lea reached up and unfolded a ladder from the ceiling. Then he climbed up and opened a hatch. With a quick glance, Roxas knew that Xion had no idea what was going on either, so the pair followed him up.

"We're the only ones in the building with roof access," he explained. "Apparently that's just how the remodeling worked out. It gives us a little extra space."

"For what?" asked Xion, staring out at their immediate surroundings.

The building wasn't in the center of the Tram Common, so they couldn't spot the new restaurant in town that they'd glimpsed on the way. But they weren't stuck staring at narrow alleyways either. There would be a decent amount of foot traffic near the front of the store and they could already see several people walking by. But since very few people ever looked up, it was easy to watch things unobserved.

They might not have to avoid all contact anymore, but some behaviors took time to change.

Shrugging, Lea said, "Whatever we want. Sparring with Keyblades. Stargazing in the evening. We could probably plant a rooftop garden if either of you two are interested in that. And while the view isn't as great as it is on the clocktower, we could probably even have ice cream here sometime."

"It _is_ a nice view," said Roxas slowly.

They weren't as high above everything as they were when sitting on the clocktower, but they could look down on part of the Tram Common and watch the people going about their lives. And even if they couldn't gaze out at the rolling hills and forests that surrounded the town, they should be able to easily watch the sunset and the shadows stretch with the fall of evening. Roxas would have to admit that while he would always prefer the view from the clocktower, sitting on the roof would work as a reasonable substitute.

"What do you two think?" asked Lea.

Xion turned back slowly and said, "This… This is ours? Really?"

"Already talked to Gina about staying here and everything. That's what I was up to yesterday. But if you truly hate it, we can try and figure something else out."

"I don't hate it," said Roxas.

And he didn't. Not at all. It was just taking some time to properly sink in.

It was theirs. It was theirs and it was real. They'd talked about running away together, just the three of them. Leaving Organization XIII and no longer worrying about missions, collecting hearts, and the increasingly obvious fact that they couldn't trust anyone. That fantasy never became real as they each fell, one-by-one. But now they were together, free, and happy. They could have everything that they could never have before.

And it wasn't at all like his room in the digital version of Twilight Town, He remembered it being on Market Street, his window overlooking the Usual Spot. The fake room was larger, with tall shelves and all sorts of books and toys. The types of things that a teenage boy would like. Or at least what Ansem the Wise assumed that a teenage boy would like. The real bedrooms were completely different than the digital one. The empty and white apartment reminded him uncomfortably of the Castle That Never Was, but not the fake version of Twilight Town. Roxas appreciated that.

"Come on then," said Lea, gesturing back down towards the apartment. "Time for you to pick out your rooms before the furniture arrives. The two closest to the bathroom are for you guys and I'll take the next one."

Doing some quick mental math, Roxas asked, "What about the extra room? The one closest to the roof access? In the corner of the building and with the window facing the front of the building?"

Lea hesitated a moment, perched right above the ladder. Then he continued climbing down.

"Having a spare bedroom is just a smart investment. Especially with how many friends and allies we've got scattered around now. You never know when someone might need a place to stay."

Roxas resisted the urge to scowl. He could fill in the blanks enough to know exactly who Lea might have in mind. And why he would position his bedroom to serve as a buffer between their rooms and the "spare." Roxas and Xion might have agreed to give Isa a chance. And Roxas might have felt bad when Saïx apologized to them as he faded. But that didn't mean that he'd forgiven him for everything that he'd done as Saïx and Roxas was certainly not comfortable with the idea of Isa staying with them.

But Roxas wasn't going to mention it right now. Instead, he was going to carefully compare the two rooms and see which one he should pick.

* * *

It turned out that moving into an apartment took longer than expected, even when none of them really had any belongings.

Putting the simple bedframes together took time. They weren't fancy things. Just pale and simple wood posts that held up the mattresses. But it still took time to get them put together. And the plain wardrobes were sturdy and heavy things that took some careful maneuvering to get them down the hallway and through the doors. Though they should be very useful. The wardrobes had space in the upper part to hang their clothes and a couple of drawers in the lower portion to fold them up.

The brown couch with slightly worn cushions was a nightmare to get up to the apartment. The size and shape of the bulky thing made it awkward to carry up a couple of flights of stairs. The table and chairs, the same honey-pale wood as the bedframes and wardrobes, were actually the easiest to handle. Xion only banged one of the chairs twice while hurrying up the stairs.

After the heavy lifting was done, Lea handed out the white bedsheets and pillows to get their rooms ready. He took responsibility for preparing the spare bedroom in addition to his own. The beds were a little larger than the narrow ones that they had in the Organization, a fact that both she and Roxas ended up excited about. Between sleeping at the castle in Radiant Garden and in Master Yen Sid's tower, she'd come to the conclusion that larger beds were better.

Lea's bed, however, ended up the biggest of them. According to him, upgrading to a king-sized bed was one of the perks of being the person buying the furniture. The downside was that it didn't leave him with much extra room. There was some floor space in front of his wardrobe and a smaller section on the far side of the bed near the window, just enough for him to stand there if he wanted. But there was no room for any other furniture. Roxas and Xion were already talking about maybe adding desks and she thought that maybe she could hang a few shelves on a wall, but Lea didn't have that option.

Xion chose the room closest to the bathroom while Roxas's bedroom was tucked between hers and Lea's. It was a cozy space that she spent too much time carefully arranging. She smoothed out the new white sheets on her new bed, looked in the wardrobe and all the available space, and opened up her window to let in a cool breeze. She liked her new room, even though the color reminded her of the cold, unwelcoming, and empty castle. As long as she reminded herself that they weren't in the World That Never Was, she should be fine.

"All right," called Lea from the main room. "It doesn't take half an hour to make your beds. I managed to fix up two rooms in the same amount of time. Hurry up. I need to introduce you two to another tradition of moving."

"Is it ice cream?" asked Roxas.

Laughing, Lea said, "Close, but not quite. Now, while I didn't help move much in the past, I know at least one important tradition about it. When you move into a new house, everyone involved in the process is rewarded for their hard work with pizza afterwards. I'd say we've earned it."

Frowning in thought, Xion poked her head out of her new room and asked, "What's pizza?"

"A hot, greasy, and delicious food. You'll see. We'll order one cheese pizza and one with pepperoni to give you a couple of options to see what you like." Heading towards the door, he said, "You two finish up and I'll go ask Gina if she knows anywhere decent that delivers."

Xion smiled at the description. Meals within Organization XIII tended to be plain, simple, and solitary affairs. They didn't tend to be more elaborate because that would require caring about the entire process and Nobodies weren't supposed to have strong feelings about things, let alone what they were having for dinner. But the three of them would always share ice cream together and the group breakfast after Roxas and Xion's return was nice. Communal meals were quickly becoming something that she appreciated. And Xion was certain that she would like eating pizza with her best friends.

* * *

_Roxas was charging through the empty white hallways of the Castle That Never Was, clinging desperately to a fading memory of a girl and a final promise. Destroy the bright Kingdom Hearts in the sky that they crafted by collecting hearts and free those hearts from their captivity. That's what she wanted. If he did what she asked, maybe she would come back. Then everything would go back to the way that things were meant to be. The three of them together and happy. So he kept running._

_The halls started out as empty, but that hadn't lasted long. While there had been Heartless out in the city, the castle had always been a place for Nobodies. And that was what came swarming out at him. Lesser Nobodies. Roxas kept running, cutting through the Dusks as fast as he could. They were trying to slow him down. They were trying to keep him away. But he couldn't let them. He had to reach Kingdom Hearts. He had to get her back. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't forget. He needed his friends back._

_Roxas couldn't stop moving. He couldn't stop fighting his way forward. He'd fought through the waves of Heartless in the city and past the black-coat imposter. And now he was forcing his way through the swarms of Nobodies that seemed determined to stop him. They grabbed at him, trying to slow his progress. Trying to trip him or tangle his limbs. Anything to hinder him. But he couldn't let them stop him. He needed to get through._

_The white hallways seemed endless and the sounds of fighting echoed along them. Twin Keyblades swirled and flashed as he moved, cutting through the writhing and attacking white mass of Nobodies. But for every one that he destroyed, at least two more took its place. Roxas gritted his teeth in frustrated desperation._

_He couldn't let them stop him. He couldn't lose his friends. And if he didn't make it to the top of the castle and free the hearts, they would be gone. Both of them. He could feel it deep inside, beyond any doubt. If he failed, he would lose his friends permanently._

_But the white halls were no longer familiar. He couldn't recognize any of the passages. The castle had become an endless maze, hostile and dangerous. A maze filled with lesser Nobodies. Nobodies that kept coming after him._

_He was no longer welcome in that place. But he also couldn't escape it. He was trapped and lost. And saving his friends grew less likely with each passing moment._

_Roxas couldn't stop fighting. But the Dusks kept coming in thicker waves. Thick enough that Roxas couldn't move forward any longer. Thick enough that the twisting and writhing creatures were entangling his legs and grabbing at his black coat. Threatening to pull him down to the ground and end the fight permanently. Roxas kept slashing away at them, but it never stopped._

_His friends needed him. Roxas couldn't let them down. He had to keep fighting. He couldn't lose them._

* * *

_They'd discovered the secret lab a long time ago with their sneaky investigating and exploring in the castle. Breaking in there repeatedly was how they'd found the lab and then the girl in the hidden underground cell. At least until she disappeared without a trace. Lea and Isa knew all about the secret lab and the creepy things hidden down there. Or at least, they knew about some of the things. And while a hidden door leading to a secret room should have been amazing, it was mostly unnerving._

_But just because Lea and Isa knew about the secret lab didn't mean that they intended to reveal their knowledge. And they certainly didn't expect the other apprentices to intentionally bring the two of them down then. Not after spending the last month and a half keeping their distance from the pair._

_It had been a strange day already. Enough that they noticed even as they poked around in places that they weren't technically meant to be. While Master Ansem tended to interact with them two of them only at the bare minimum, his focus usually on his own studies or his other apprentices, they hadn't seen him at all that day. There was no sign of the old man and his other apprentices had seemed different. Bolder and less restrained. But also wrong in a way that Lea couldn't quite describe._

_And when they found the pair trying to pretend that they weren't snooping like always, they invited the boys to join them. They guided the two of them down towards the secret lab behind the hidden door, Aeleus resting a hand on each of their shoulders. The apprentices gave the teenage boys oversized black coats to wear and stated that they required some assistance with an experiment._

_They grinned at the pair in a way that was probably meant to be encouraging, but the expressions didn't seem to reach their eyes. And there was something predatory about them. Enough to make Lea and Isa hesitate. And the friendly hands on their shoulders tightened into a death grip. The boys kicked, screamed, twisted, and fought to break free as Braig and Dilan wrestled them into the black coats. They fought as hard as they could, but Aeleus merely tucked the pair under his arms once they were garbed. He'd always been too strong to escape back when he and Dilan would toss them out of the castle. That had not changed._

" _Are you certain that these clothes will offer the protection that you promised, Lord Xemnas?" asked Aeleus._

" _That is why we must test the material," said Xehanort. "Even with no hearts left of our own, too much darkness may still be hazardous. We are nothingness incarnate. Rejected by both the light and the darkness. Without protection, that darkness could eventually swallow us whole and return us to that same oblivion. It is best not to tempt fate by being reckless."_

_Twisting and clawing at the painfully-tight arm wrapped around his waist and keeping him off the ground, Lea snarled, "Let us go! You can't do this!"_

" _And it'll be easy to test," said Braig, none of them paying any attention to what the boys were yelling. "I mean, we've already got that machine from when we were testing the effects of messing with darkness in people's hearts. Just turn it up and see if the kiddos turn into Heartless or not."_

_Hunched over a computer, Even typed something on the screen and caused a sudden click above. Lea stopped struggling for a brief moment as his head snapped up. A mechanical actuator came out of a panel in the ceiling and started lowering with a quiet hum. The robotic limb held something that reminded Lea of an oversized laser weapon from a comic book, though he doubted that it was anything as straightforward as that. It came to a stop a little above a gurney that Dilan wheeled into the room earlier. Lea didn't trust the new machinery nor the gurney with thick leather restraints._

" _If we truly wanted to test the effectiveness of the material in a controlled environment and compare the results against having no protection, we would need to have one of the subjects with the black coat and one without," said Even. "Then we could adjust the machine to different concentrations and strengths, gradually increasing until we reach the minimal requirements to damage or lose the subject. We can only draw proper conclusions if we establish a proper baseline result. We would want reliable results, yes."_

_Scratching the back of his head, Braig said, "I mean, we could do that. But as long as we silence to two of them before they start spreading stories around, who cares how we do it? That's the goal. Can't get the whole town after us and messing stuff up. Testing out the coats is just a bonus."_

_Lea felt himself grow pale and immediately renewed his struggles. He knew what they meant about silencing him and Isa. And he wouldn't go down without a fight._

" _People will come looking for us. My parents. You have to let us go. We won't tell," said Isa. "Let us go and I promise that we won't tell anyone. Just let me and Lea go."_

_Leave it to Isa to try and bargain their way out of danger. He always had a cool head under pressure. And it was the smarter plan. It wasn't like they were making any progress physically fighting them. Aeleus was too strong for that. And he seemed even stronger than normal._

" _We will proceed as previously discussed," said Xehanort, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Our baseline for comparison will be our previous experiments on the heart. You still have that data, Vexen. It should suffice. Besides, proper science also requires repeating the experiment. It requires multiple results demonstrating the same conclusion. Both boys will wear the coats."_

_Looking away from his computer, Even said, "Very well then. Zexion, are you ready to record the results?"_

_The small boy in the corner nodded. The quiet and serious child had always been a little odd. But now, standing in the corner next to a tray of sharp instruments and wearing both a blank expression and his oversized lab coat, the kid had reached a new level of creepy. He held his clipboard tight with a pen at the ready. And he didn't seem at all disturbed about what was happening. There was no sign of any emotion on his face at all._

" _Then let us begin," he continued. "Xaldin, select the first test subject and strap him down. We wouldn't want one moving. That could end up as an extra variable and disrupt the integrity of the experiment."_

_Nodding, Dilan said, "The two of them have always been meddlesome and slippery along with being too curious for their own good. Escape is a distinct possibility with them. We couldn't keep them out of the castle, so why should we have better luck at keeping them in?"_

_Then Dilan latched onto Lea's arm and pulled him away from Aeleus. Which kicked Lea's panic up a notch and caused Isa to try lunging in the man's iron grip._

" _Lea!" His normal stoic personality dissolved under Isa's buried temper bubbling to the surface. "Let him go! Don't hurt him!"_

_But Isa remained trapped as Aeleus transferred him from being tucked under the man's arm into a more dignified hold. The aggressive kicking and clawing proved just as ineffective as before. And Lea's struggles did nothing to keep him from being slammed onto the gurney. Even as he snarled out threats and begged for them to let him go in equal measure, tight straps snaked around his ankles, his waist, his wrist, and across his chest._

" _We have become quite knowledgeable with regards to darkness and hearts," said Xehanort coolly. "We know how to introduce darkness into the heart. How to cultivate and strengthen it. And how to overwhelm a heart until it is consumed by that darkness, collapsing under the weight of it. Returning to a heart's natural state."_

" _Let us go," said Lea, his voice shaking more than he wanted to admit. He strained hard against the restraints. "Please don't do this."_

_He was crying. Lea could feel the wetness on his face despite his best efforts. He knew that there was no point crying and he should focus on getting free. He should save his energy to escape. But he was absolutely terrified. The fear clawed its way up from the ice in his stomach to squeeze his throat. Lea wanted to stop crying, but he couldn't seem to stop the tears._

_He shouldn't have suggested that they become apprentices. Lea wanted to help find the girl who vanished from the secret basement and it seemed like the best way to do that. But if he didn't have that dumb idea, none of this would be happening._

_His tone still cool and detached, Xehanort said, "Tears. An appeal to my emotions. An attempt to earn sympathy. A meaningless effort. We are no longer controlled or swayed by such things. Unclaimed by light or darkness, we come from something quite different now. We—"_

_His monologue abruptly ended with a shout of surprise and pain from another. Lea twisted his head to see Isa scrambling away from Aeleus. Eyes wild with fury, he ran towards his bound friend. But any hope was immediately crushed when Dilan shot out his hand and a huge gust of wind slammed into Isa._

_On the other side, Even shouted about delicate equipment and insulted the man for such recklessness, but all Lea cared about was the rough way that Isa crashed into the tray of sharp instruments with a yelp of pain. Ienzo barely missed being hit as well before hurrying out of the line of fire. Blood dripped off Isa's face as he staggered back to his feet. He didn't seem to even notice the cuts left behind. He was glaring at all the other apprentices as he held up one of the sharp-edged instruments he'd grabbed. Everything in his posture screamed his intention to attack them to free his friend._

_But he couldn't win. No matter how furious Isa was, he was outnumbered and outmatched. Lea knew that. And the others knew that as they edged their way around to surrounding him, trapping him in that corner. Not approaching yet. None of them eager to get sliced or stabbed. But that stalemate wouldn't last._

" _Don't hurt him! Don't hurt Isa! Leave him alone," shouted Lea desperately. "Just leave us both alone. Please stop it!"_

_His words fell on deaf ears. And strapped down on the gurney, Lea couldn't do anything to help. He could only watch as Isa lunged and slashed at the other apprentices any time that they tried to draw closer. He would lash out before darting back to his corner._

" _The boy certainly has spirit," said Dilan._

_A brief high-pitched whine was all the warning that there was. Then a blast of darkness shot across the secret lab and slammed into Isa, pinning him against the wall. Pure, concentrated, and intense amounts of darkness shot out. Washing over Isa and holding him in place as Lea screamed his friend's name. It lasted for what felt like an eternity. Powerful and impossible amounts of darkness streaming out in a terrifyingly strong stream._

_Then it finally stopped. Isa crumbled to the floor roughly, any sign of consciousness fleeing. Blood dripped further from the cuts across his face. Lea felt a gut-wrenching fear twist inside him. Isa looked dead. He really looked dead._

_And then, proving that whatever protection that the coats were meant to offer clearly had their limits, the limp and bleeding figure dissolved away into nothing. There might have been a flicker of color and light as he broke apart. But then it was gone in an instant. Isa was gone as Lea could only scream and cry at the loss._

_As tears rolled down his face and he felt grief and fear tearing away at him, Lea knew that he was alone. Trapped, alone, and with no one left who would remember him or even care what would happen. His best friend was gone and it was his fault because Lea suggested that becoming apprentices would be easier than trying to break in all the time. It was his fault that Isa was gone and now he was alone._

" _Zexion," scolded Even._

_Stepping away from the machine that he'd fired, the boy said evenly, "He almost crashed into me, he was armed, and you weren't going to grab him without damage. And a damaged subject would provide poor data. It was the smart decision."_

_Shaking his head slowly, Even said, "Such a waste. But at least we have one test subject left to work with. Since full-strength is clearly too much for the protective material, we'll have to start at a lower intensity and work our way up." He stepped over and redirected the machine towards Lea. "Prepare to record the first data point, Zexion. We don't want any further mistakes."_

* * *

_Xion stood in the middle of the Round Room. The rest of Organization XIII sat in their white thrones, staring down at her. Staring, but not truly seeing. She could feel it. She shivered at the sensation of their combined gazes. It made her feel small, insignificant, and wrong._

_She didn't know how she knew it, but Xion knew that they didn't truly see her. Not the real her. Not the person that Xion believed herself to be. The black-haired girl that she always saw in the reflection. That's not what they saw now. That's not what they ever saw._

_Sora. Naminé. Roxas. Kairi. Ventus. A faceless doll._

_Nothing._

_They all saw someone or something different. But not her. Never her. Not even Axel or Roxas were seeing her, both of them staring down at Xion with the same unconcerned detachment as the rest._

_She clutched her hands in front of her chest. Xion wanted to pull her hood up and hide from the white room and their judging gazes._

" _Puppet," said Saïx._

" _Tinker toy," said Larxene._

" _Sham," said Xaldin._

" _Failed experiment."_

" _Replica."_

" _Copy."_

" _Mistake."_

" _Broken."_

" _Useless."_

_Xion covered her ears, trying to block out their words. But she could still hear their voices. All of them. Even Roxas and Axel were telling her that she wasn't real. That she was fake and wrong. She couldn't block it out._

" _I'm real," she whispered. "I'm me. I'm not a sham."_

_But her voice sounded weak and their words kept growing louder. Deafening. There was nothing except the bright white room, their cold eyes, and the voices of everyone that she knew telling her that she shouldn't exist._

_And Xion couldn't help thinking that they were right. That she was merely a reflection of what others expected to see. Pieces of other people. Stolen memories with no substance of her own. There was nothing about Xion that could be described as truly hers._

" _Fake."_

" _Lies."_

" _A waste."_

" _An illusion."_

" _Less than nothing."_

" _Forgettable."_

_She collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Hiding away. Though she didn't know what she was hiding. She didn't know what features that she wore. She could be anyone. Because she was less than no one._

" _Replacement."_

" _A thing."_

" _Disposable."_

" _It."_

" _Not real."_

* * *

_He screamed and cried. A distant part of him was aware of Even calling out numbers and adjusting the stream of darkness pouring at him. At him and into him. But Lea couldn't focus. It didn't start out that badly, the black coat protecting him as promised. But they'd long since passed that point. And that brought pain._

_A sharp pain deep in his chest. A building pressure. It felt tight and kept growing worse. Like something inside him was on the verge of exploding as too much darkness was forced into a small space. Lea kept panting and gasping as the pain and pressure worsened. He felt like he couldn't get enough air. He felt like the pressure was suffocating even though he could breathe. His limbs strained and his back arched, the boy held down only by the restraints. None of his reactions were voluntary. Everything was just too much._

_And it wouldn't stop. The pain, the pressure, and the tears wouldn't stop. And Lea kept panting, screaming, and crying. He wanted it to stop. All of it. He needed that white-hot pain, the pressure trying to burst him apart, and the choking tears to stop._

_It hurt. Everything hurt and he was terrified. Lea couldn't bear it._

_His throat grew raw from his screams, his muscles ached from the strain, and it wouldn't stop. There was no end in sight. It would never end._

_Then something gave way. The impossible pressure and the pain that wrapped around his heart finally caused something to shift, ripping it out. The horrible sensation made him gasp. Lea slumped, his vision going dark and the world fading around him…_

… _until Axel struggled to open his eyes to the white floors of the Castle That Never Was, a small figure sprawled in front of him. He didn't like fighting Xion and it took a lot more out of him than he expected. But he had no choice. He needed to bring her back. Xemnas left him no choice._

_But it would be all right. Once Axel caught his breath and recovered a bit, he would get off the floor and pick Xion back up again. Then he could work on figuring out how to keep her safe. He could keep her and Roxas with him and safe. He could still fix things somehow. He just needed a moment to regain his strength._

_Then a dark shape reached down and picked up the unconscious Xion._

_Xemnas._

_Axel wanted to reach out and snatch her back. To beg Xemnas to leave her alone. To stand up and do something. Anything. But his battered and exhausted body refused to cooperate. He could only watch as Xemnas carried her away._

_No. Please, no._

_His chest ached at the sight in a way that he couldn't explain._

_They would do something to her. He knew it. Tie her down, experiment on the girl, and try to remake her. He knew that would happen. That knowledge burned in him. And he couldn't do anything to stop it._

_No, no, no,_ _ **no**_ —

Lea jolted, eyes yanking open and his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. The deep gasps made his ribs ache dully and his ears were filled with loud pounding.

For just a moment, staring at the white walls, ceiling, and sheets, his sleep-addled mind thought he was still back in the Castle That Never Was and that Xemnas had Xion. It took a few blinks and trying to sit up to fully pull himself out of the remnants of the nightmare.

He was in Twilight Town, the purple-tinged darkness as close to night as it ever grew. The latest and darkest version of twilight. The locals would call it night, but it lacked the full blackness in the sky to qualify in Lea's opinion. Not the perfect blackness of the World That Never Was and its eternal night. He was in Twilight Town in their new apartment. Lea focused on that reality as his pulse gradually slowed and his breathing evened out.

It was only a nightmare. Or rather, a nightmare composed to two separate memories squashed together. Remembering Xion meant remembering how he failed her. That part seemed to be a natural enough thing to dream about. But the first part… Lea hadn't properly remembered the events of that day in the years since. He knew what vaguely happened, but not to that level of detail. He'd only remembered bits and pieces about losing his heart. Maybe it was the traumatic nature of it or maybe it was because of how most of his emotional memories turned vague and distant when he became a Nobody, but he hadn't remembered. And he hadn't _wanted_ to remember.

Lea didn't know what brought those memories back to the forefront now. Maybe it was the return of his heart and some time to adjust that gave them back. Or maybe remembering Xion jostled loose a few other lost memories in the process. Regardless, he would rather bury them back down where they came from and forget about that day as much as possible.

Ironic for someone who cared so strongly about memory and being remembered, but Lea had to draw the line somewhere.

He sat in his bed and ran a hand through his hair. Should he risk sleep again? He had plenty of painful and awful memories that he would prefer to not revisit. Several of them connected to the Organization and the white room was serving as an unwanted reminder.

Then Lea heard something. Movement. And before rational thought or reason had a chance to weigh in on the decision, he was already climbing out of his oversized bed. He was down the hall to the closest room before he realized it.

While Lea was already using his t-shirt and shorts combo as pajamas, Roxas and Xion didn't have the luxury of new clothes from the fairies. They didn't have any other normal-looking clothes. They'd tossed their casual clothes into the washing machine after their pizza dinner. Which meant that when Lea looked into the boy's room, Roxas was sprawled on his bed while wearing his black coat. And just like in their Organization days, he didn't apparently remember to sleep _under_ his white sheets.

But it wasn't a peaceful sleep. He could tell that much immediately. Roxas would twitch and turn, his expression tense and strained. Occasionally he would gasp quietly as he flinched in his sleep. Everything about Roxas spoke of agitation. Lea wasn't the only clearly suffering from nightmares.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Lea said, "Roxas. Wake up."

There was no reaction. Not even a twitch that wasn't obviously part of the nightmare. Roxas remained asleep, shifting and fighting against whatever visions filled his head. Lea's own nightmare earlier lost all importance in the face of the boy's distress. He needed to fix this. If he wanted to snap Roxas out of the nightmare, he would have to be a little more forceful.

Reaching over to shake the boy, he said, "Wake up."

It was like a switch flipped. One moment, Roxas was trapped in his uneasy sleep. The next instant, he shot up in a fully combative state, summoning one of his Keyblades in the process.

Lea didn't flinch. It was a skill that he perfected during the Organization, when such signs of weakness could be dangerous. Axel had managed not to react when Xaldin sent his spears towards his head close enough to clip his hair. Lea remained equally still when the tip of Oblivion was suddenly pointed at his throat. He didn't even look down at the Keyblade.

He couldn't react or show any sign of fear or worry about his own wellbeing. He'd known that instinctively even before the weapon appeared without warning. Roxas didn't need to see his friend being afraid. Roxas needed to know that Lea trusted him. The kid would never hurt him. Not even when he jolted right out of a nightmare. So Lea couldn't react. He couldn't let Roxas think for even a moment that he doubted him.

The boy stayed there, weapon drawn and panting heavily. Panicked and furious eyes slowly shifted towards confusion. Roxas blinked a few times, not quite comprehending what was in front of him. He just seemed disoriented and upset. Then he finally seemed to properly recognize that Lea was right in front of him.

"It's all right," said Lea. He carefully reached over and gently lowered the weapon from his throat. "It was just a nightmare. You're safe."

Roxas dropped his Keyblade and let it vanish before it even hit the bed. He glanced around, searching for enemies that only existed in his imagination. He was blinking rapidly against the moisture trying to form in his eyes. Then he rubbed his arms as if to banish a chill. The lost and uncertain expression caused Lea to start to reach out to the kid. But Roxas flinched at the movement, still too keyed up. Lea slowly lowered his hand and tried rethinking his strategy.

"You're safe," he repeated. "We're all safe. Nothing happened, Roxas. It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real."

After a moment, he started to look calmer. Not exactly calm, but better. Lea could work with that. Any improvement was welcome. He just needed to figure out what else Roxas needed. An embrace was clearly off the table. And unfortunately, ice cream in the middle of the night wasn't a practical solution either.

"Tell me what you need," said Lea. "What can I do to help, Roxas?"

Roxas looked up at him, wide-eyed and uncertain. Sitting on his white sheets, in his white room, and wearing his black coat, it was like Lea was given a glimpse into the past. Back to somewhat more innocent days. Back when there hadn't been so many betrayals, secrets, lies, and fights to tear away at them. It made his heart ache, even if he knew that those days weren't perfect either.

Swallowing, Roxas whispered, "Xion… I need to know…"

"You need to see that she's safe?"

He nodded shakily. Whatever the nightmare might have shown him, seeing Xion would help banish it. Lea could work with that. He smiled as he stood up and gestured for Roxas to follow. The pair quietly left the bedroom and headed towards the girl's room.

Lea hoped that seeing Xion sleeping peacefully in her bed, safe and alive, would be enough to reassure Roxas. It would be helpful for Lea too after his own nightmare. Not that Lea's nightmare seemed as important anymore. But regardless, checking on Xion would be calming in theory.

But when they opened her door and looked inside, her sleep was no better than theirs had been. She was curled up in a tight ball in the middle of her bed, whimpering quietly in a way that sounded like she was on the verge of tears. There was no hesitation. Roxas was across the room immediately.

"Xion, wake up. It's okay. Wake up. We're here."

She woke up and the tears followed her into consciousness. Her hands clutched tightly together in front of her chest as Roxas pulled her up into a hug, letting Xion bury her face into his shoulder. She shook with muffled sobs and Lea could make out a few scattered words. "Sham," "mistake," and "fake." None of which were comforting.

Kneeling on the floor in front of the pair and ignoring the way his stomach twisted at the sight of her tears, Lea said, "You're safe, Xion. That was just a nightmare. This is real. _You're_ real. And you're both alive and have your own separate existences. You won't disappear again." Lea carefully took their hands and squeezed them. "Both of you are safe, alive, and real."

"I… I was back at the castle," she whispered, looking up at him. "And… and I _am_ real?"

Roxas immediately said, "Of course you're real."

"Very real," said Lea firmly. "A brave, clever, strong, and selfless real girl who will never be forgotten ever again. Got it memorized?"

Xion managed a shaky smile at his words. Though Lea noticed that the expression weakened when she looked away from him. Specifically, when she looked at her white surroundings or the black coats that she and Roxas wore to bed. All rather visceral reminders of horrible memories. And a possible catalyst for the nightmares plaguing all three of them.

Lea suddenly regretted moving them into the apartment so soon. They should have stayed another night at the tower. He should have waited until they could have redecorated a little more. At least enough to make the place look less like a mini version of the Castle That Never Was. A few more splashes of color could have made a difference.

"What do you need from us, Xion?" asked Lea. "How can we help?"

Wiping away at the tears, she whispered, "I don't… I don't want to be alone."

"Then you won't be." Lea tugged at their hands. "Come on. Slumber party time in the big bed. Plenty of room for everyone."

"What's a slumber party?" she asked.

"I'll explain in the morning. For now, trust me."

He smiled at their twin nods and pulled them to their feet. Roxas and Xion kept hold of his hands as Lea led them back to his bedroom. A few minutes of crawling across the mattress and shuffling around, the trio settled down into a comfortable arrangement with the half-pints nestled on either side of him as Lea pulled the sheet over them.

He was quickly growing rather fond of the setup. It was reassuring to keep them close. Nightmares of them being snatched away couldn't take root when they were snuggled against his sides. He listened to their breathing grow slow and even as sleep reclaimed them. Lea would protect them from further nightmares, ready to wake them up again at the slightest sign of distress. They could protect themselves from most threats, but he could at least guard their sleep.

He had his friends back. Safe. Alive. Real. That knowledge and their twin heartbeats comforted him as much as a soft lullaby. Lea's arms curled around them, pulling the half-pints closer. Then he let the gentle tug of sleep drag him back under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are bound to happen with these guys. Especially with all the traumatic things that have happened to them. All of the characters in "Kingdom Hearts" could benefit from some therapy. They are just a bundle of various traumatic issues wrapped in sweaters of friendship and waving around Keyblades. But at least they aren't alone.
> 
> No, the decision to have them order pizza didn't have anything to do with a certain joke weapon from "Chain of Memories." It was just a funny coincidence. You believe me, right?
> 
> I've also drawn a [map of the layout](https://sta.sh/01oba7jewocg) of the apartment. It's kind of rough and everything, but it should give you a general idea of what their new home looks like.


	3. Clothes Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the first night turned out to be a bit rough. But things can only improve from there, right? You know, as long as they do a little redecorating.

They woke up earlier than Lea would normally prefer, but he had a plan for the day. After getting Roxas and Xion to change back into their t-shirts and shorts, he headed into town with them. All that time hanging around Twilight Town meant that he knew exactly where to look. A family hardware store that was tucked away near one of the tram depots had most of the needed supplies. And they opened early, before most of the foot traffic. He appreciated not having to deal with the extra people yet.

He knew that the nightmares probably had plenty of causes. None of them had exactly normal lives prior to that point. But there was at least one factor that he knew might have made things worse. A few paintbrushes, a couple of rollers, and several cans of paint would help banish any resemblance to the Castle That Never Was.

It took a little effort to convince Roxas and Xion that they could pick out any colors that they wanted for their bedrooms. Any colors at all. But that level of freedom and choice was never something that they'd been allowed before. Yet another reason to add to the list on why Organization XIII was horrible and Xemnas needed to be brought back specifically so Lea could set him on fire.

But after a while, they started eagerly comparing various shades. The excited conversation continued as Lea picked out a light tan color for the main room, hallway, and bathroom. There was nothing wrong with neutral colors as long as they weren't white. They'd had enough of the color white for a few lifetimes. They needed a home that didn't look like the Castle That Never Was and wouldn't remind them of the Organization. Which meant actual colors.

Eventually they all settled on their various choices. Roxas picked out a warm shade of sunset orange while Xion wanted a bright blue shade that looked like the ocean waves on a sunny day. Lea had a bit more trouble deciding on his own room. Despite his fondness for the color, a bright red didn't seem quite right. He did want a warm color though. Something not depressing or dark. He ultimately went with a cheerful golden-yellow. Not too bright or blinding, but something closer to the golden-light of Twilight Town before the reds and oranges started to creep in.

Lea picked a deep blue for the spare bedroom. A deep, rich, and soothing shade of blue. One that he hoped Isa would like. He knew that Isa wouldn't be staying with them any time soon; that would be a huge step that none of them were ready to deal with yet. There was too much history between… well, everyone. Including Lea and Isa. But Lea was optimistic. And he wanted to cling to the hope that all of his friends would be able to be around each other someday. So he would prepare for that distant day. He would give Isa a place in their home. It would be ready when that day came.

He also planned to get some glow-in-the-dark stars to stick all over the room. Because decorating the room like Isa was five years old amused him.

Carrying all the supplies back to the apartment was a little awkward. There were too many cans of paint and only six hands between them. But somehow they managed to get everything there without dropping a can and spilling paint all over the ground. Lea would consider that a victory.

Looking over the apartment, the sheer size of the project began to sink in. If they wanted to do things right, it would take all day to repaint the entire apartment. Possibly multiple days. But there were a lot of other things that needed to be done too. Which mean that the best way to handle the to-do list was to divide and conquer.

And that led to Lea handing over a decent chunk of munny to Roxas and Xion.

"First, get some more clothes. Normal clothes for Twilight Town. We'll try to get those three fairies to fix up some that can protect you from darkness later. For now, you two can pick out some that you like. Get at least one outfit today," he said, trying to ignore a tightness in his chest as he spoke. "And what you don't spend on new clothes, go buy some stuff to personalize your rooms. Blankets and comforters for the beds, pictures or posters for your walls, small rugs, or whatever you like. These rooms belong to you and should look like yours by the time we're done."

Looking at the munny, Xion asked, "Aren't you coming on the mission with us?"

Lea ignored her referring to the shopping trip as a mission. That was a conversation that he wasn't ready to start digging into yet. Missions were something familiar and easy for Roxas and Xion to understand. It was a concept that they knew. Besides, there was an uneasy feeling trying to form and it was very distracting. He didn't have enough focus currently to explain the difference between missions and errands.

"I'm going to be busy painting. I'm afraid you two are on your own with this one. Just stick together and you'll be fine. And no using dark corridors."

They both gave him faintly annoyed looks. As if they were dumb enough to try a dark corridor without their black coats. Lea couldn't help grinning at their expressions, even if he knew that the smile was a little strained.

"Fine," said Roxas. "We'll take our Gummiphones with us and call if anything happens."

"Sounds like a plan. Good luck and stay out of trouble."

Giving him a couple of nods, the pair headed out the door and out into town. And that unease from the idea of Roxas and Xion leaving rose into a terrified state of dread at the thought of losing them. Of the pair fading away like Sora. Of disappearing beyond his reach once more. Fear squeezed his chest and left him gasping. He needed to call them. Immediately. He needed to know they were all right. They were gone and there was no one to help protect them from disappearing again. Lea sank to the floor as he struggled to breathe past his mounting anxiety.

Don't fight it. Lea tried to hold onto that fragile thought as he continued to spiral down. Fighting his emotions wouldn't work. He could only endure them. It would pass. He just needed to ride it out. He could handle it.

They would be fine. He wouldn't lose them.

Sitting in the middle of the floor and struggling to breathe, Lea did his best to withstand the separation-anxiety-induced panic attack.

* * *

Locating a clothing store in Twilight Town wasn't difficult despite the fact that neither of them had ever gone clothing shopping before. They'd both explored the town plenty during their time in Organization XIII. There had been numerous missions there. Not to mention that their new home was above a store that sold clothes, though they realized quickly that Gina's merchandise was too fancy to be practical for daily life and moved on. The only real change was that they didn't need to keep out of sight of everyone. They could walk down the street without worrying about anyone seeing them because they weren't in the Organization anymore. They were allowed to be like anyone else. It was a new experience.

Well, almost. Roxas could remember walking around Twilight Town, open and relaxed. Feeling like he belonged there and didn't have to hide. He remembered being part of the community. But those memories were fake and that version of Twilight Town was equally fake. It was part of the reason that he would not be forgiving DiZ any time soon. Not completely. That illusion left him longing for something that wasn't real. He was grieving the loss of something that he never truly had. How sad was that?

Regardless, Roxas and Xion could go shopping without worrying about keeping a low profile. It was only habit that caused them to half-hide among the racks of clothes as they looked. They weren't actively concealing themselves. It just worked out that way.

Which might be why no one really noticed them in the store until someone bumped into Xion, causing her to stumble and fall since she wasn't prepared for the impact.

"I am so sorry. I didn't see you there. Are you all right?"

As Xion accepted the offered hand and climbed back up to her feet, Roxas struggled to regain his breath. It felt like all the air was driven from his body the moment that he heard the voice. A familiar voice that made him want to cry, scream, run away, and grab her tight all at the same time. Roxas stepped closer, moving around the clothing rack to spot the new arrival.

Though he was also actively trying to hide now.

A brown-haired girl with bright green eyes smiled at Xion apologetically. Her hair was shoulder length. And she wore a black tank-top with red detailing, red plaid capri pants, dark shoes, and a red-and-black bracelet and necklace. The clothes were different than what he remembered with regards to the colors, but the style was similar. There was certainly no mistake. It really was her.

"Are you new to town?" she continued, still speaking to Xion. "I don't remember seeing you around, but you look a little familiar."

Nodding a little nervously, Xion said, "We just moved here. But we've visited a few times before."

"Olette?"

Another familiar voice and two more very familiar boys approached. A black-haired boy in a black-and-white shirt with a skeletal dog design and the words "Dog Street." He also wore dark baggy pants, a headband, and an orange-striped bandana. The other boy had spiky blond hair. He wore blue denim capris, a white t-shirt with a stylized skull-and-crossbones design, and a short vest with red plaid detailing that matched the detailing on his shoes.

All three of them. All three of his friends from the simulated version of Twilight Town. Roxas knew that he would eventually run into the real Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He couldn't avoid them forever now that he, Xion, and Lea were living in Twilight Town. He'd just hoped that it would take longer. He'd hoped that he would have more time to prepare himself for the encounter.

"Did you find the shirt you were looking for?" asked Pence.

Shaking her head, Olette said, "Not yet. I got distracted when I bumped into…"

She trailed off before turning back to Xion. The dark-haired girl was silent for a moment before realizing what Olette wanted.

"Xion. My name is Xion."

Roxas swallowed the forming lump in his throat. It would be fine. They didn't know him. The real version of the trio had only met him briefly during his time in the Organization when their paths crossed. Not even enough to leave a lasting impression. Roxas would be a stranger, regardless of his memories of a fake life.

He suddenly understood why Axel reacted so badly when Roxas didn't remember him. Even thinking about it hurt. But it wasn't their fault that he was haunted by lies crafted by DiZ.

Something apparently catching his eye, Hayner turned slightly in Roxas's direction. aNd he froze when he spotted the boy tucked among the clothes racks like a misplaced jacket. Then a surprised and excited grin broke across Hayner's face.

"Roxas!" Hayner grabbed his friends' arms and spun them around. "Guys, it's Roxas."

As waves of shock, confusion, and disbelief washed over Roxas, all three of them lit up as they saw him. They were saying his name and he didn't understand why. Why were they saying his name? Why did they recognize him? They didn't know him in the real version of Twilight Town. Why were they reacting like their best friend had just shown up?

"You know Roxas?" asked Xion.

They didn't. He knew that they didn't. Not really. And yet they seemed to recognize him.

Was he back in the simulation somehow? Was he about to encounter a glitch or witness the world freeze around him? That quiet gnawing doubt turned into a roar. His throat tightened as the feeling of panic mounted. He wanted those illusionary friendships desperately, but he couldn't go back to that data version of Twilight Town. He couldn't get trapped in those lies again.

"Technically, we've never actually met Roxas," said Olette, "but we know about him. Sora told us about him when he was searching for Roxas."

" _And_ ," added Hayner, "he was our friend in the other Twilight Town."

As the reasonable explanation settled Roxas's frayed nerves a little and his panic calmed, they dug out a photograph. One that he recognized. It showed them posing in front of the old mansion. All four of them. A picture from a life that never existed. Roxas took the photo from them, staring down at it. A small and nostalgic smile tugged at his mouth.

"The… other Twilight Town?" asked Xion quietly.

Right. He never fully told her about what Ansem the Wise did. Not in real detail.

Nodding excitedly, Pence said, "Yeah. There's this whole other version of Twilight Town you can access through a computer in the hidden basement of the old mansion. Well, you _used_ to be able to access it. Didn't work last time we tried it. But we did help Sora get there once."

"The old mansion has a lot of weird things about it," said Olette. "Like that old man in the black coat that we saved from the other guy in black."

Hayner grinned proudly and said, "It was great. I would have kicked him in the face if it wasn't for the black monster with him."

"And you would have got squashed like a bug if it wasn't for the squiggly white things that the third guy sent to help us," teased Pence.

That prompted Hayner to shove his friend, but it was more playful than genuine annoyance. While he was abrasive and even aggressive towards strangers or outsiders, he was actually a loyal and nice person once you got to know him. He had his flaws, but he was a good friend. And even with his impulsiveness and temperament, he was fun. Roxas remembered that much. The memories might be fake, but it still seemed like an actual reflection of the group's personalities.

It would be easy to reinsert himself back into the group dynamics. And Roxas wanted that. He wanted that life even if it wasn't real and part of him kept screaming that he was trapped in another illusion.

"Anyway," said Hayner after a moment, "since we were friends with you in that other Twilight Town, we all agree that we'd probably be good friends here too. I mean, any version of me would be a good judge of character. That's why we tried to help Sora find you."

As if it was that simple. As if being friends in a fake town and Sora believing in him was all that it took. And judging by how Hayner grinned and the other two nodded, they _did_ think it was that simple.

Glancing between Roxas and Xion, Olette asked, "Are… you two related? You're dressed alike. But Xion… You also look a bit like another girl that we met. Her name's Kairi."

"We know Kairi," said Roxas slowly. "We saw her a few days ago before we moved here."

He didn't know how to answer the first part of the question. Were they related? Roxas came from Sora and Xion was originally a replica that copied Roxas and made from Sora's memories of Kairi. They were connected by their origins, but nothing about their origins were standard. They both had Lea as the adult who taught them, protected them, and cared about them. Which was apparently the definition of a parent. Roxas was still a little uncertain on the difference between friends and family. He honestly didn't know if any of that meant that they were related or not.

Apparently unconcerned with their silence on the topic, Olette said, "So you're both staying. That's great. And you're shopping for new clothes?"

"And bedding and maybe a few other things for our rooms," said Xion with a nod.

Grabbing Xion's wrist, Olette said, "Great. Looks like we're turning this into an all-day shopping trip. I'll help Xion and you two can help Roxas pick out something. We meet back here in an hour with what we find. Then we can figure out where to go from there."

And with that, they vanished into the clothing racks as Olette dragged her along. The boys could only stare in silence for a moment. Then, shaking his head, Hayner turned back towards Roxas.

"Whatever. What kind of stuff do you have already?"

Gesturing towards his t-shirt and shorts, Roxas said, "Uh… This?"

"Not even the stuff from the photo?" asked Pence.

Roxas shook his head. Despite wearing them in the datascape, he actually liked the black and white outfit. They weren't like Sora's clothes and now he knew that they weren't like Ventus's outfits. If he wanted to over-examine it, Roxas might consider the idea that the style was somewhere between the two. But not quite. Regardless, they clothes were uniquely Roxas's. Not a reflection of the others. And having at least one part of his identity that he could claim as his own felt important.

But those clothes were lost when he vanished into Sora.

"That settles it." Hayner gestured for him to follow. "Come on. I think we can find everything in the photo."

* * *

The anxious feeling never faded. He couldn't get rid of the horrible feeling in his stomach and his chest. Nor the irrational fear that Roxas and Xion would disappear before they made it back. But the choking feeling of panic that left him collapsed on the ground and struggling to breathe had lessened after a while.

And with that small achievement, Lea could focus on the task at hand. Painting the apartment was a decent distraction. He needed the distraction.

He worked on Roxas and Xion's bedrooms first. He wanted to get them done as quickly as possible. Their rooms needed to be fixed before the white walls and reminders of the Organization could cause further nightmares. It was only after he started getting a headache that Lea realized that he should have opened all the windows to get some fresh air first because paint fumes were a bad thing. He needed to climb up to the roof and gulp some fresh air when he started feeling really off. Once the headache faded and there was a steady breeze through the apartment, he moved on to his own room and the spare.

The project took longer than he expected. Lea also realized that he should have started painting before the furniture arrived. Then he wouldn't have to wrestle four different wardrobes out of the way. But he tried to be careful and not strain himself while moving heavy loads. Lea was healing and he didn't want to set things back again. He could take his time and be careful. Working slowly meant that the distraction could last longer.

They would be back soon. Roxas and Xion would be all right and would come back. They wouldn't disappear again. Lea kept mentally repeating those reassurances as the roller slid across the wall and erased all signs of the whiteness. He wouldn't lose the half-pints.

The warm golden-yellow light streaming through the windows had gained an orange tint and the distant bells were chiming the hour when Lea heard the front door open. He nearly dropped his painting supplies in his hurry to get out there. Roxas and Xion stumbled in, trying not to drop the numerous bags in their arms. Lea felt the tight knot in his chest loosen. They were back.

He really needed to work on his issue with having them out of sight. The kids were too independent for him to hover over them constantly.

"How did it go?" he asked, sounding surprisingly casual for someone who spent the day as an anxious mess.

Smiling as she set down the bags on the table, Xion said, "Great. We met a few friends of Roxas and Olette helped me pick out a nice outfit."

They'd already found the local kids? Lea shouldn't be surprised. The trio had a tendency to pop up often. And at least Roxas didn't look upset, so the encounter must have gone well.

"We both got some clothes, some blankets because Olette suggested we get a few since some evenings get cooler, Roxas got a skateboard even though Hayner told us that 'fad' has passed," continued Xion, shrugging at the unfamiliar word, " and Hayner also found some posters. I didn't want one, but Roxas liked the one about the Struggle Tournaments."

"Sounds like a busy day," said Lea.

Nodding, Roxas said, "We completed our mission."

"It wasn't exactly a mission. This isn't the Organization after all," he said. "It was just some errands." Scratching the back of his head, Lea said, "Look, I got the bedrooms finished, but we might need to let the paint fumes air out first before sleeping in them. Thankfully the skies should be clear this evening and it shouldn't be too cold at this time of the year. We can toss a few pillows and blankets on the roof this evening and see how many stars we can spot."

"Okay," said Xion. "That sounds nice." Then she started digging into one of the bags. "I almost forgot. We told Hayner, Pence, and Olette that we just moved here. They really want to be helpful. Especially Olette. She looked up and wrote out what we need to register for school."

Lea's thoughts came to a screeching halt. He mentally went back over her words. Then he did it a second time. It didn't change what he'd heard.

School.

Registering the teenaged toddlers for school. Like normal children instead of a former Nobody and the replica created to copy him. Neither of which had any legal documentation or experience in a school environment.

And starting school would involve them spending most of the day away from him. Out of sight and unable to call on their Gummiphones. No way of knowing if they were safe or if something bad happened to them for at least several hours a day. No way of knowing for certain that they hadn't disappeared somewhere that he couldn't reach them.

"Right," he said quietly. "School."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we have the kids getting proper clothes for themselves that they picked out (with some help). We also get the first encounter with the Twilight Trio. Who immediately claim Roxas, and thus Xion, as one of their own. Meanwhile, we get so see some of Lea's current issues. Some serious separation anxiety born of the fact that he kept losing them in the past. As I mentioned before, these guys were bound to end up with some issues after the events of canon. It'll take time to get past them.


	4. First Day of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's toss these kids in school. What's the worst that can happen? After all, it isn't like they have no life experience to prepare them for this, right? Not to mention having to explain away some serious knowledge gaps.

As an energetic and impulsive teenager and someone with a deep desire to be memorable, Lea spent a rather large portion of his youth in the principal's office. Generally it involved dragging Isa into trouble as well. But sometimes he managed a little chaos on his own. Regardless, Lea couldn't count the number of times that he sprawled in a chair while the principal lectured him about the latest misadventure while threatening to contact his parents, both of them perfectly aware of how little good that would do. He spent more time squirming under the principal's unwavering gaze than he did actually learning in school.

It turned out that uncomfortable, exposed, and intimidating feeling didn't just disappear because he was on another world, facing a completely different principal, and wasn't even a student anymore.

The principal was a black-haired woman who sat in her well-lit office filled with bookshelves and her desk, both carved from dark wood that contrasted with pale yellow walls. She sat there like a queen surveying her kingdom, completely poised without a single doubt of her control and power. Her hair was pulled into a fashionable ponytail and she wore a black skirt and a maroon blouse. She peered through her glasses as she looked over the forged birth records and other paperwork that Ienzo sent over.

Lea was mildly amused by the names that Ienzo and possibly Ansem came up with for the nonexistent parents. Apparently Roxas's fake parents' names were Sora and Aqua while Xion's parents were named Kairi and Even. Clearly no one had the creativity to make up any new names and simply picked some random familiar ones.

The other records that listed Lea as their guardian didn't so much amuse him as it formed a lump in his throat and a feeling of warmth in his chest. He knew that they weren't any more authentic than the birth records, but it somehow made the situation feel more real.

Lea sat quietly across the desk from the woman, trying not to fidget. Did they teach all principals how to induce guilt with their mere presence? It seemed like a shared skillset. At least she let Roxas and Xion wait outside in the hallway, listening to the distant sounds of students and teachers in their various classrooms. They didn't have to face her inscrutable expression, but they were still close enough that he didn't have to worry about them. They were just on the other side of the door.

He silently went over his story in his head. He would stay as close to the truth as he could for most of it. That would make it easier to keep track of things and avoid contradicting himself later. He'd alter what he needed to, but only enough to keep things plausible. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best that he could come up with.

"According to this, you've only been the children's guardian for a short span of time," she said finally, straightening the small stack of papers. "I am surprised to find someone as young as you are as the recent guardian for a pair of teenagers. I feel like there is a bit of a story behind that set of circumstances."

Scratching the back of his head, Lea said, "Yeah, you're right. It is a bit of a story, Ms…"

"Ileana."

He nodded and continued, "But sometimes things happen and you end up with a couple of great kids who look up to you and don't have anyone else. And you know it is a lot of responsibility, but you accept it anyway because you know that they deserve better than what they've had so far and you want to give it to them." Lea took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They've been through a lot in the past. And what Roxas and Xion really deserve is a chance to be normal kids. That's why we moved to Twilight Town. It's somewhere safe and where they can be happy. And being normal kids means going to school, making friends, and probably complaining about homework eventually."

"And I to assume that their previous homelife wasn't a happy or healthy one?" asked Ileana.

Lea couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped at her question. That would be an unbelievable understatement. The Organization was practically the definition of an unhealthy homelife. Of course, trying to explain about them would take some creative interpretation.

"I'm going to be completely honest about this," he lied. "Until recently, they were being raised in a cult."

Ileana's eyebrows shot up. And Lea thought it was a rule for all principals to always act like they'd seen it all. But apparently his explanation was a new one for the woman. Her eyes darted towards the door briefly, as if she could see the pair waiting in the hallway. As if she would see them covered in weird tattoos, chanting ominously, or other clear signs of cult influence. Then she seemed to shake it off, probably reminding herself that it wouldn't be that obvious on the surface.

At least she seemed to be accepting the story.

"Is that what happened with their parents?" she asked quietly. "Are they're still in the cult or are they…?"

Avoiding the question, Lea said, "Roxas and Xion were there their entire lives and never knew anything different until recently. They are out now and safe. But it means that they don't know about a lot of normal everyday things. They missed out on learning and experience them because that cult didn't give them the chance. They have that chance now." He shifted slightly in his chair. "That's why they need to go to school. Maybe it would be easier to catch them up with everything with some homeschooling and private tutors. I'd love to keep them close and safe. But they need a chance to be normal and that means spending time around other normal kids. And they're both smart and pick things up quick if you give them a chance."

"I'll have to let their teachers know," she said after a moment. "If there ends up being any problems or issues, they'll need to be warned ahead of time so that they can be prepared. I'll try to place them with some of our more patient and experienced teachers, though Roxas and Xion will still need to take a few placement tests to give us an idea about their education levels to ensure that they end up in the appropriate grade." Giving him a careful look, Ileana said, "I assume that their therapist suggested that they attend school to help them integrate into normal society. Did their therapist make any other recommendations that I should pass onto their teachers?"

A therapist. Lea resisted the urge to laugh again. Even if he could find a therapist who could _handle_ the tangled mess caused by Organization XIII, Nobodies, replicas, and getting trapped in Sora's heart after giving up their own existences, that person wouldn't have the context for those problems. And it would be difficult to explain it all to someone. Most people didn't like having their views of reality shattered.

At best, a therapist wouldn't believe them and would think that Roxas and Xion were making it in order to deal with their "real" problems. At worst, they would try to take the two half-pints away for treatment because the therapist assumed that they were seriously deranged. Not that locking them up would work since, you know, _Keyblades_. But that would still be the end of them living in Twilight Town.

Occasionally it might be smarter to listen to the barely coherent duck and protect the world order. At least when it came to authority figures like a school principal or a therapist.

"If at all possible, keep them together," said Lea. "Keep them in the same class. And there's as trio of local kids that they've already made friends with. Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Everything is already going to be new and strange to them. Having someone familiar will help. And tell the teachers not to ask Roxas and Xion about their pasts or why they don't know about certain normal and obvious things. If the kids have questions, just answer them plainly without complaining about how everyone knows about it already."

"Because it'll remind them about the cult?"

"Essentially, yes. And it'll just remind them about how different they are from everyone else and don't fit in. They don't need that."

Nodding thoughtfully, Ileana stood up from her desk and straightened her skirt. She stepped over to a filing cabinet and, after a little searching, pulled out two stacks of papers. Then she moved towards the door and opened it.

"Roxas? Xion? Could you come in here for a moment?"

The pair stepped into the office with wary looks. But when Lea gave them an encouraging nod, they relaxed a little. Just enough that he didn't expect them to summon Keyblades to defend themselves immediately.

Roxas had somehow recreated his look from the simulation of Twilight Town. The clothes that he wore when he first formed in the real Twilight Town when Sora temporarily lost his heart, before Xemnas gave him the black coat and the boy was a complete blank slate. When he was at his most zombified. Roxas wore a black, high-collared jacket with a zipper that somehow resembled part of the Nobody symbol. Lea didn't know how that happened, but apparently even the most oblivious people in Twilight Town had eventually noticed a few Dusks and such on their world. And rather than getting disturbed about it, used them to inspire fashion. People were weird.

Over that black jacket, he wore another jacket. An unzipped and white one with several black block designs and a gray hem on the end of each sleeve. The outer jacket's collar was red and pleated and folded back. Neither jacket had very long sleeves, which suited the comfortable temperature of Twilight Town. He also wore a pair of two-colored pants; the legs of his pants were beige with several of what looked like buttons on the hem that appeared to attach the legs to the rest of the dark-colored cloth. Roxas's shoes were colored in shades of gray and black with red straps in place of laces. Finally, Roxas wore a wristband with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern on his left wrist and a pair of rings. A plain black ring on his left index finger and a plain white ring on his left middle finger.

Yeah, someone went to a lot of trouble to recreate his old look.

Xion, on the other hand, had never worn anything other than the black coat and the very generic t-shirt and shorts that Lea had provided for her a few days ago. There was nothing for her to recreate. Not unless she wanted to start wearing pink like Kairi, which seemed like a horrible idea to him. Xion needed and deserved to establish her own identity just like Roxas did. But she seemed excited with what Olette helped her find.

She wore a black, sleeveless, double-buttoned, collared shirt with a black belt. The closest thing that it had to sleeves were these loose, flowy, and pretty little bits of fabric that covered her shoulders and gave the shirt a more feminine touch. She also wore a short, white, pleated skirt that appeared close to the length that both Kairi and Naminé seemed to prefer. Though, now that Lea thought about it, Naminé likely didn't get much say in what she wore either. But both the shirt and skirt were things that looked pretty, but wouldn't hinder her too much if she needed to fight. Rather like Kairi's outfit from the three fairies. And to finish it off, Xion had a pair of black boots with beige trim at the top that reached up to her mid-shin. They looked durable and even the heels were thick enough for stability while giving her a little more height.

Why were so many Keyblade wielders so short? Terra seemed to be the only other one around with any actual height.

"It is very nice to properly meet you both," said Ileana politely, "and we're very lucky that you'll be attending our school. I'm going to set you both up in the library with a few tests that I would like you to work on. Just answer the questions as best that you can. Our librarian, Jun, can collect them when you are finished. In the meantime, I'll have your guardian finish up some more paperwork. When we get all of that taken care of, we'll see which classroom that you'll be in."

Roxas and Xion both looked at him, silently questioning. Lea gave them a small smile and another nod. Reassured, they accepted their stacks of papers and pencils that Ileana gave them.

"You'll do great," he called after them as the principal guided them back towards the door.

"Thanks, Axel," said Xion.

At Ileana's puzzled look, Lea shrugged and said, "It's another long story. Just think of it as a nickname."

This time when she led the pair out of the room and towards the library at some unknown corner of the school, Lea managed to brace himself better for the immediate waves of dread and anxiety that washed over him. Unlike before, the emotions didn't manage to completely drag him down. He didn't collapse. He stayed upright and even managed to maintain a calm façade. Having a breakdown in a principal's office wouldn't work out very well.

He needed to stop freaking out every time that the Keyblade wielders were out of sight. It would be awkward if he was forced to lurk outside their classes once they started school.

* * *

"All right," said Lea, grabbing the empty bowls from the table. "You've got your backpacks?"

Smiling, Xion said, "Yep."

Their old backpacks from their Organization days. Tough, durable things that could hold more inside than it first appeared and could be hidden under their black coats to avoid Heartless snagging them in a fight. They'd emptied their usual supplies from the backpacks, leaving only a few potions for emergencies. Everything else inside them were new additions from their brief shopping trip that Lea dragged them on after their visit to the school. The same shopping trip where they picked up things that he assured them that they would need for school, some sturdy plastic dishes for their breakfast, and some boxes of cereal with varying amounts of sugar.

"You have your notebooks? Pencils? The books that they told you to bring?"

"Yes, Axel," said Roxas.

"And you remember the rules? No talking about other worlds. No summoning or using Keyblades. No fighting except with fists and only if necessary. You're both too good at it and it wouldn't be fair to any of the other kids. You've got to level the playing field a bit if you need to beat them to a pulp. And no magic. Apparently they never did much with it and not many people learn it here."

Rolling her eyes slightly, Xion giggled and said, "Don't worry. We know the rules. We've got it memorized."

Lea reached over to ruffle their hair. Xion shoved his arm away while Roxas tried to duck, but she was still smiling at him. She tried to ignore her nerves as they seemed to flutter around her stomach. That morning would be their first official day at school and she didn't know what to expect. But it couldn't be harder than some of her missions for Organization XIII. They didn't have to even fight any Heartless. They would be fine. And it was what she wanted: the chance to be a real and normal girl.

The tests that they'd taken were different than the various assessments and challenges that the Organization gave them to determine their various combative capabilities. They were less physical. All that they did was write down answers to different questions on paper. Which, according to Lea, was closer to what school was normally like. But according to those tests, they were both reasonably competent when it came to reading and writing, they'd picked up a decent amount of science from Sora the same way that they did their fighting skills, Xion was better at math than Roxas, and both of them would need to take "remedial history." None of them had ever been judged by those subjects before. If that was what they would be learning at school, it would be a new and interesting experience.

"Don't forget. I'll meet you two afterwards," said Lea. "Stay close to the school and keep your Gummiphones. I don't want to chase you all across Twilight Town."

Slipping his backpack on, Roxas said, "We'll meet you then."

"Come on," said Xion, grabbing his hand. "We don't want to be late."

Even as they hurried out of the apartment and scrambled down the staircase, Xion took a moment to glance back up. Lea stood at the top, watching them go with a complicated expression on his face.

* * *

All day. They would be gone all day. Anxiety and dread twisted in the pit of his stomach, reaching up to choke him. Lea was quickly growing to hate the feeling that struck whenever Roxas and Xion were gone.

They wouldn't disappear. They would be fine. They would come back safe and sound. He knew that. He knew that nothing would happen, but part of him refused to get with the program.

He stalked around the apartment, trying to distract himself and burn off his nervous energy. But nothing could hold his attention for long. He started making his bed before stopping halfway to wash the plastic dishes in the sink. Next, Lea summoned his Keyblade, giving Flame Liberator a few practice swings before banishing it once again. He pulled out his Gummiphone, not certain if he wanted to call the kids or Isa. Then he tucked it back away.

He wanted to go after them. Lea wanted to chase after Roxas and Xion to make sure that they were safe. But he couldn't do that. They used to go on missions all the time on their own; they could take care of themselves. They needed to have this independence. It wouldn't be fair to hover over them constantly now.

A distraction. Lea needed a proper distraction. Something productive and useful that would keep him busy and away from the school. Something that wouldn't give him any time to think or dwell on everything that could go wrong.

Lea brushed his hands briefly along the fabric of his new clothes. Fabrics enchanted to protect his heart just as thoroughly as the thick black coat. No darkness would sink into him and consume his heart, even if the clothes felt much lighter and ordinary. It still didn't seem possible to be as safe with them. But he knew it was true. He'd traveled this way already and nothing happened. And with that brief reassurance, he opened a dark corridor.

It wasn't immediate teleportation. They were paths. Hallways. Corridors. He still needed to walk along the strange and impossible passages. Paths used by Heartless and Nobodies to move between worlds. Betwixt and between everything else.

It was along one of those paths that Axel faded into nothingness. Lea couldn't help wondering if the dark corridors should bother him more after that. But they still didn't scare him. The dark corridors were dangerous without protection, but they didn't make him uncomfortable like he felt when he was in Radiant Garden.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Lea slipped back out into a round room with a short hallway. The cozy space was familiar. He remembered the strange neighboring room with the sentient narcoleptic doorknob and a pair of bottles that could change someone's size. A room that could be flexible with gravity depending on how he entered. Beyond that was a hedge maze, an oversized forest with unique flowers, and a deranged queen who ruled over her playing card soldiers.

Wonderland was one of the weirder worlds that Lea knew. And more importantly, even after everything Sora and the others did to protect the worlds and ensure that they didn't fall to darkness, there were still some Heartless lurking in dark corners. Not in huge numbers, but enough.

If he had trouble finding an apartment, Lea couldn't even imagine how hard it would be to find a job for someone who never finished school and his only "work experience" was with Organization XIII. His skills as an assassin didn't exactly translate over to working in customer service. But he needed a source of income because his stockpile of munny wouldn't last forever. And the only thing that he was good at was fighting.

Lea summoned his Keyblade to his hand, giving it a quick spin. Heartless didn't always leave behind a lot of munny, but he could build up a tidy pile and reduce their population at the same time. And if they dropped rarer items, he could try selling them later. A few hours of hunting could be very productive if he was lucky.

Not to mention that throwing himself at the largest and strongest swarms of Heartless would keep him from thinking. He wouldn't have time to worry. He could keep himself busy until school was finished. It would keep the tight knot of anxiety in his chest from suffocating him. And he was being productive while he waited.

With that decision held firmly in mind, Lea headed deeper into the insanity of Wonderland.

* * *

Roxas shifted slightly in his chair, trying to copy down what the teacher was writing down on the chalkboard. The teacher, a blond man named Tackett, told them that it was important to take notes because what they were going over would be on a quiz. Which was apparently another kind of test. And Lea told them that taking notes meant writing down everything that the teacher wrote or drew for them so that he and Xion could look over everything again later. School was turning out to involve a lot more writing than he ever did for his reports to Saïx or his journal.

While he'd vaguely understood what school was during the simulation, it was a distant and imperfect understanding of the concept. He'd only known enough that Roxas could understand what a summer vacation and homework were supposed to be. Now that he was actually experiencing what school as like, he didn't know if it was good or bad. But it was unmistakably normal.

After a short introduction that morning, one that seemed more relaxed and casual than when they'd been presented to the members of the Organization, Tackett sent them to a couple of empty desks near the back corner. Their seats were thankfully close to Hayner, Pence, and Olette, the girl claiming one a little closer to the front. From there, other than some questioning looks from the other kids in the room, there hadn't been much time for anything to really happen. Tackett simply started talking about one of the books tucked in their backpacks and asking various questions of the students, moving forward with the lesson as if everything was normal. And everyone acted like Roxas and Xion joining them was normal too.

Normal. Everything was normal to the point of verging on boring. And in many ways, that made the experience stranger and more surreal. Outside of the fake version of Twilight Town, Roxas had never experienced normal.

The classroom was filled with small desks facing the teacher's desk and the blackboard near the front. The walls were white, but they also covered in colorful posters that alternated between being educational and simply being encouraging. And along one wall was a long line of windows that looked out across the open street in front of the school. And there were other kids. Fifteen of them other than Roxas and Xion, though he knew there were more in other rooms. It felt a little weird to be around that many people at once and having none of them be Keybearers or Organization members.

School was different than anything else. There were more people. There was a lot of writing and sitting quietly for hours. Even the way that Tackett taught them about things was different than how Lea did it.

If Roxas was honest about it, he preferred asking Lea questions. He didn't have to raise his hand first. A mistake that the teacher gently corrected and that caused a couple of kids to snicker until both Roxas and Hayner glared at them. It would take a little adjustment to get used to basically getting permission before he could ask about something. It would be simpler to just wait and ask Lea.

But even with everything that was different and new, it didn't seem bad. It would just take some time to get used to it.

As Tackett finished writing down another jumble of numbers and asked if anyone could solve the equation, Xion's hand slowly crept up. He gestured towards her.

"Is it… one point three?" she asked timidly.

Nodding, he said, "That is correct, Xion. Very nicely done."

Tackett turned back to continue the lesson, but Roxas was watching Xion. A slightly surprised look shifted towards a small proud smile. Olette twisted around briefly to flash her a grin and Pence reached over to nudge her excitedly. The happy and increasingly confident expression on her face from someone in authority praising her instead of insulting her truly proved that school was absolutely nothing like Organization XIII.

And if it made Xion that happy, confident, and proud of herself, then Roxas officially liked school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus, the kids begin attending school. After Lea concocted an appropriate story about them being raised in a cult in order to explain anything weirdness that pops up. To be fair, the Organization was fairly cult-y.


	5. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The holiday season really threw things off a bit when it comes to my creative energy. It might take me a bit to get back into the swing of things. Please bear with me though. The updates will come as long as you are patient.
> 
> And so they get to go to school. With no major calamities or bloodshed. That's a good thing, right? Everything is going smoothly. Which means it is time to have at least a little chaos tossed in.

The bell that rang at the end of the school day was louder and more shrill than the ones that chimed over the train station. But after a long day of class, it was always the most beautiful sound to Hayner. As soon as it announced the end of the day, the hall filled with excited students. Running and shoving their way past each other for the exit. Everyone eager to go do something fun instead.

He didn't rush this time. Hayner, Pence, and Olette took their time, keeping an eye on Roxas and Xion since the pair seemed a little overwhelmed by the rushing crowds. The trio had been doing that all day. With the exception of when the two of them were ushered out for a separate class with Caran for history, the trio had done their best to watch out for their new friends. It wasn't just because they were new in town. There was something about the questions that the pair would ask or the way that they would exchange looks that made it clear that Roxas and Xion were in over their heads. Hayner knew it was their responsibility to help.

There was a simple logic to his thought process. Roxas had been their friend in the other Twilight Town. And since any version of Hayner would be a good judge of character, he'd decided to be friends in this one too. And since Xion was obviously Roxas's friend or possibly sister, the exact relation wasn't very clear yet, then it made sense to be friends with her as well. As Hayner's friends, that meant they were under his protection. He stuck up for Pence and Olette for years, ever since all three of them were small children who got into trouble if they snuck off without supervision. That wouldn't change with his new friends.

He didn't make friends easily. But when he did, Hayner took it seriously. And when he decided that he and the others would take the newcomers under their wing, they didn't do it halfway.

"How did you like your first day at our school?" asked Olette as they finally stepped out the front door.

Xion tilted her head thoughtfully and said, "It was… different than anything else. But it was nice. I liked knowing the answers to the teacher's questions."

"It is a good feeling," she agreed.

Smirking, Hayner said, "Is that why you always work so hard on your homework?"

Olette shoved him playfully, making him laugh. Pence wrapped an arm around Roxas's shoulders, encouraging him to join in on the fun. It took him and Xion a moment to start smiling along with them. Not yet certain how they fit in yet, but trying. That would take time. But at least they were enjoying themselves.

"Have you two seen the new outdoor theater yet?" asked Hayner. "It shows silent movies. Well, not _completely_ silent. There's music, but no talking. Older movies. But they're good. And if you ever want to earn a little extra munny, they always need someone to hang some posters for the different movies."

"Or we could head to the Sandlot." Pence grinned at them. "I don't know if they had Struggle matches where you came from, but Hayner is great at it. He can help teach you if you want."

While Hayner smiled proudly, Roxas said, "I… I've tried it before. It was fun." He glanced at Xion. "You'll like it. We use soft bats against each other and basically spar. Sometimes there are competitions and you can win a trophy."

"That does sound fun," said Xion with a shy grin. "Maybe we can try it out another day. Roxas and I have to meet someone soon."

"Right," he said, craning his neck to look around. "Where _is_ he?"

A hand landed lightly on Roxas's shoulder while another ruffled Xion's hair, startling all five teenagers into yelping and jumping away. The tall figure nearly fell over laughing as they scrambled apart. After a moment, Roxas and Xion grinned and threw their backpacks in his direction. He twisted away, dodging the attack as he smacked the backpacks out of the air. The two seemed more amused than upset when their belongs tumbled to the ground.

But all Hayner could focus on was the stranger. A tall red-haired young man that they'd seen before. Last time, he was dressed in the same black coat that a lot of weird or creepy people wore and he appeared through a dark swirling portal to snatch up Kairi. The dangerous kidnapper.

And now he was back. He was back and after Roxas and Xion.

Not on Hayner's watch.

It was almost like they planned it out. Pence and Olette yanked the startled pair behind them while Hayner charged forward. He didn't have room to attempt a flying kick this time, so Hayner took a swing. The man dodged back a step. Almost blinking in surprise, as if the act was automatic rather than intentional. Hayner immediately attempted a second haymaker. And failed.

"Well, that's not very friendly," muttered the stranger.

"Back off," shouted Hayner, his third swing also failing to connect. "You can't kidnap anyone this time."

"Axel?"

Hayner glanced back to see Roxas and Xion trying to edge their way around Pence and Olette's protective stances. Confused and uncertain expressions crept across their faces. But not fear or worry. Meanwhile, the man mostly seemed bemused. Bemused and maybe a little embarrassed.

If Hayner had a Struggle bat, the kidnapper would be a lot more than just embarrassed. He would be sporting a broken nose.

"Why does Hayner think you want to kidnap someone?" continued Xion.

Scratching the back of his head even as he twisted out of the way again, he said, "Yeah, funny story… Remember when Roxas disappeared and I mentioned how I didn't handle it well?"

"Axel, what did you do?" asked Roxas.

Growing frustrated, Hayner decided to abandon his attempts to punch the redhead. Instead, he went for something more direct. Hayner charged forward to tack him with his full weight. The man slid to the side, shoving the teenager to the ground as he charged past. Hayner rolled back to his feet like he was in a Struggle match. He wasn't giving up that easily.

"He kidnapped Kairi," said Olette.

" _Axel_ ," said Xion, her tone making it sound like she was scolding him. "Why?"

Grinning awkwardly, he said, "Not my finest hour. I'll admit it. I got a little desperate." He scratched the back of his head again. "Would it make a difference if I mentioned that me and Kairi are friends now?"

"Seriously? You kidnapped Kairi?" Roxas shook his head as he crossed his arms, no longer trying to get around Pence and Olette. "No wonder they are suspicious of you. And come on. You're smarter than that. Why would you do it?"

The man shifted uncomfortably, not meeting anyone's gaze. His grin looked more like a grimace now. Hayner silently debated if it was worth trying to land a hit while the redhead was distracted.

"Told you. I was desperate. It was a dumb plan to get you back that probably wouldn't have worked anyway," he mumbled. "She forgave me. And it worked out in the end."

"You honestly expect us to believe that you and Kairi are friends now?" asked Hayner sharply. "We saw you drag her out of our usual spot. She was trying to get away from you."

Glancing at Hayner, he said, "I can prove it."

* * *

It felt strange to be back on the island again. After everything that had happened recently, it didn't seem quite real. Like she was in the middle of a dream. Or perhaps everything that happened before was instead the dream and she'd finally woke up to her normal life.

Kairi didn't have as much experience going on dangerous adventures and then needing to return to her everyday life afterwards. The first time that she left, tucked away in Sora's heart, the Destiny Islands were gone. Swallowed up by the darkness. No one noticed her absence because everyone was lost during that time. It was like she never left. The second time was when Axel tried to kidnap her and she dove into the dark corridor to escape. Her return after that short absence was overshadowed by Sora and Riku's return, their absences for much longer.

Purposefully leaving for Keyblade training and then participating in the Keyblade War was somehow different. With her training outside of normal time, she felt like she was away for much longer. And coming home afterwards was even harder. Those experiences weighed on her in a way that she couldn't quite explain.

Nothing was the same anymore.

Telling people that Sora was gone was painful. She and Riku had to decide how much to share with different people. How much to reveal or explain and how much to hide or remain vague about. Their childhood friends didn't get anything close to the full story, but they were the easiest. Telling Sora's _mother_ was heartbreaking.

She knew how much it hurt Riku to confess that they didn't know if or when they would bring him back. It tore away at him and he'd been avoiding everyone ever since. Kairi had ended up crying into her pillow after it was over.

His painful absence wasn't the only change. They brought someone else home with them. Someone who remembered the islands so well, but had never truly been there himself.

Kiru was still trying to find his place. Trying to find a space where he could belong. And somewhere that would someday be a home for Naminé as well. He kept switching between the three houses. Kairi's adopted parents were always willing to open up their home to someone in need, Sora's family were trying to fill the empty void with distractions of caring for another, and Riku's parents wanted to make up for missing out on several years of their son's life by being supportive of the replica.

Not that anyone really understood who Kiru was in relation to Riku. Some of the people on the island suspected that he was a distant cousin, but were too polite to ask. She didn't know where to even begin when it came to explaining about replicas. But everyone seemed determined to be supportive of him and to welcome him into the community. They were confused, but friendly. Just like they were when Kairi washed up on the beach as a child.

That didn't pretend him from seeming tense and uncertain every time that Kairi saw him. She suspected that Kiru would eventually break down and accept the offer to stay at the Land of Departure within a few months. It would give him a fresh start somewhere new. Somewhere that he didn't have Riku's memories trying to confuse him.

She'd left him currently sprawled on the couch downstairs while she was in her room. He'd dozed off early, the rhythmic pattern of the evening shower tapping on the roof serving as a soothing and hypnotic lullaby. Kairi had ended up curled at her windowsill, staring out at the gray skies.

The weather suited her mood. The quiet of the house, the overcast skies, and the general emptiness of the place made it hard to silence her thoughts. And they'd turned towards darker directions. She felt weighed down by the guilt, grief, and heartache. Her mind kept going back to that moment where Sora disappeared with a smile. It wasn't as raw, overwhelming, and painful as everything felt that first night. But she couldn't ignore the dull ache or the lonely feeling during the quieter moments.

They would see Sora again. She believed that with all her heart. At least, she did in her better moments. That didn't stop Kairi from missing him any more than it stopped Riku from blaming himself.

Her heavy thoughts on that dreary day were abruptly interrupted by a cheerful tune ringing out, pulling her gaze away from the rain outside. Her Gummiphone's screen lit up, eagerly awaiting her response.

Not knowing who could be calling or why, Kairi hesitated a moment. Then, remembering that only a handful of people could even call her and that none of them were people that should be ignored, she answered. Lea's face immediately filled the screen. He looked slightly uncomfortable, but mostly in a good mood.

"Hey, Kairi," he greeted. "You doing all right?"

She smiled at him. An imperfect smile that felt a little unsteady, but it wasn't completely fake. It was an actual smile.

"I'm fine."

"Do you really mean that?"

Her smile shrinking slightly, Kairi admitted, "Not completely. But I'm a little better."

"Considering everything that's happened, that's not bad." Scratching the back of his head, Lea continued, "Listen I don't want to bother you if you're busy, but I need a small favor."

Straightening up, she said, "Of course. What do you need?"

"Could you tell these three that we're friends now and that you aren't mad at me about kidnapping you anymore?"

The screen suddenly spun around to show her three new faces crowded together. Three faces that she knew from her brief visit to Twilight Town. Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The last time that she saw them was when they tried and failed to stop Axel from dragging her into a corridor of darkness. Now they were staring at her, as if they didn't actually expect Lea to contact her.

"Hey," she said.

"Kairi?"

All three of them shouted her name in unison. All three of them sounding completely stunned. The entire situation managed to startle a laugh out of her as she waved at them through the screen.

"Hayner keeps trying to punch Axel because he thinks Axel wants to kidnap us," called Roxas from somewhere out of view.

And that turned her brief and startled laugh into something longer. Kairi nearly fell from her perch on the windowsill as she laughed loudly at the idea. She half-expected to wake up Kiru downstairs. Hayner scowled slightly at her reaction, which only made her laugh harder. And after a few moments, even Olette giggled.

When she managed to calm down, Kairi reassured them, "It's fine. Axel and I sorted everything out. And he's definitely not kidnapping anyone again."

"And you two are friends now?" asked Hayner, not sounding completely convinced.

"Good enough friends that he still lets me call him 'Axel,'" she said.

"Wait, that's not his actual name?" asked Pence.

"Not for you three, it isn't. The name's Lea," he said. "Got it memorized?"

Smiling, Kairi said, "It's complicated. But I promise that you can trust him. He's… had a bit of a change of heart since the last time you saw him."

Then Lea turned the Gummiphone back around and Kairi could see him grin at her again. He seemed calmer than when he first called. He should be fairly healed by now, but it was probably better that he didn't need to dodge Hayner's attempts to attack him anymore. Just in case.

"Thanks, Kairi. I think that they might actually believe me now."

"You're welcome," she said. "I'm always happy to help."

Giving her a serious look, Lea said, "And you know that if you need anything, the same holds true. All you have to do is ask. That's what the Gummiphone is for. I'm just a call away and we both know that I have access to plenty of shortcuts."

Meaning that if she needed him, he would take a corridor of darkness to come and help her. Kairi smiled at the sentiment. The world always seemed brighter with the reminder that she wasn't alone and that her friends would always be there for her. Just like all of Sora's friends wouldn't give up on him.

When the rain passed, she would need to remind Riku of that fact. That they wouldn't be facing any of this alone. And that with everyone working together, they would find a way to bring Sora home. Riku needed to be dragged out of his darker thoughts and given that hopeful reminder just as much as she needed it.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said. "Try to stay out of trouble."

Chuckling, Lea said, "Why does everyone think that I always end up in trouble?"

"Because we know you, Axel," called Xion from off-screen, earning a good-natured eyeroll from the redhead.

"Take care of yourself, Kairi," he said.

The call ended, leaving her alone with only the rain for companionship. She smiled at the Gummiphone before tucking it away. Then she stood up to dig out her collection of crafting supplies from the box on the shelf.

Moping and dwelling on things that she couldn't yet fix wouldn't do any good. There wasn't much that they could do until they were ready to give Naminé a body of her own. Kairi could only feel her heart sleeping deep inside if she concentrated hard and her Nobody was stirring. She couldn't use that connection to find Sora.

Until then, Kairi needed to be more positive. She needed to get her mind on more useful topics. And being productive had always cheered her up in the past. Perhaps she could work on some good luck charms for her other friends or something to give Sora when they got him back. Or maybe she could make something for Kiru or Naminé to make them both feel welcome. Kairi could find a project to occupy her time.

And when the rain stopped, she could grab Riku and try to pull him out of his own guilt-ridden thoughts. Possibly with some sparring. Something active to keep them from dwelling. Distractions helped. Even a short distraction like a call from a friend.

* * *

Tucking his Gummiphone away, Lea said, "See? We're friends. No more kidnapping." He gave Hayner a firm look. "And if you try to hit me again, I'll actually do something about it."

He was mostly healed by now, thanks to some powerful healing spells and potions. But there was still the occasional twinge if he twisted the wrong way. He'd figured that out in Wonderland. Hayner's clumsy assault hadn't caused any issue, but Lea's patience with it was limited.

"If Kairi says that you're all right," said Olette slowly, "then I guess you two really did get over everything."

"And if Roxas and Xion don't seem scared of you, then I guess it's fine," added Pence.

Nodding, Roxas said, "Axel is our best friend. You can trust him."

That statement shouldn't hit him as hard as it did. But after the various lies in the past and when he pushed things so far that Roxas flat out admitted that he couldn't trust Axel any longer, it felt nice to know that they apparently forgave him for his mistakes. At least enough that they trusted him again.

And Pence and Olette seemed willing to go along with everyone who was vouching for him, though Lea could tell that Hayner still had his suspicions. He wasn't as quick to trust as some people. But he wasn't trying vainly to attack Lea any longer either. Which meant that he didn't need to scorch Hayner's hair. That would be good enough for now. Lea could work with a tense truce.

"Well, as fun as this has been, we've got things to do and places to go," said Lea.

Tilting her head, Xion asked, "Oh?"

Lea grinned at the pair as they moved away from their protective new friends. He reached over and pulled them close, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders.

"You both completed your first day of school. That's quite the accomplishment. You deserve to celebrate a little."

Slowly smiling with realization, Roxas asked, "The icing on the cake?"

* * *

Climbing back up to the clocktower without the benefit of dark corridors should have been trickier. But the door to the stairway was tucked out of sight and they didn't even bother to lock it. Not that a locked door would have stopped them. All three of them had Keyblades. It was easy to sneak up.

It seemed a little strange to be up there again. The last time that Xion was up on the clocktower, she wasn't really herself. It was when she was forcing Roxas to fight her. When she was forcing him to destroy her. And then she disappeared from existence, gone and forgotten. Dissolving away right in front of the train station. And those memories hurt.

But there were so many other memories of the three of them perched on the clocktower. Happy, warm, and bright memories. Memories that she deeply treasured. Those sunsets together were the ones that she chose to remember.

And now they were back.

Part of her couldn't believe it was real. They were scattered apart and lost. Separated with no hope of ever seeing each other again. And yet they were once more finding comfortable spots to sit on the sun-warmed ledge, legs dangling over the edge as they stared out at the orange and red skyline. As if no time had passed.

Lea carefully handed out the blue ice cream, smiling at them in a familiar way. She'd seen the same scene more times that she could easily count. All that was missing were the heavy thick coats.

"You know," he said slowly, "if we try hard enough, we might be able to spot our house from here."

Frowning with concentration as she looked out across Twilight Town, Xion said, "Maybe. Everything looks different from up here."

"Maybe over there?" suggested Roxas, pointing out towards a distant corner.

"Nah. That's too close to the restaurant," said Lea. "It has to be a little further to the left."

It felt right to be there. All three of them together again. Sitting on the clocktower, watching the sunset. It was a feeling of home and belonging. It was everything that they'd ever wanted.

It was what she always wanted. Just getting to exist. To be with her best friends without having to be afraid of disappearing or hurting them with her presence. Xion never expected to have a happy ending and yet everything seemed perfect.

She took a small bite of her sea-salt ice cream. The cold sent a brief shiver down her spine. The salty and sweet flavor, the perfect balance between the two, seemed as perfect as it did the first time that Roxas brought her up there and the first time that the three of them all managed to share ice cream together.

It was their routine. Their special moment together. Eating sea-salt ice cream together was her first experience with friendship and it was the foundation for so many precious pieces of their lives.

She smiled as she took another bite. Xion couldn't imagine anything better than that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends another big day for the Sea-Salt Trio. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten Isa. Nor has Lea. He'll show up again soon. The half-pints just needed to get some things settled first. But I'm glad to see that people are enjoying this fic so far. Thanks for all the comments. I appreciate them.


	6. Weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that we've got things a bit settled with the half-pints (and Lea had the encounter with the Twilight Trio that everyone was looking forward to, it is time to start looking beyond the more immediate needs. But first, we can't forget the mountain of issues still lingering beneath the surface.

_There were several spots in Twilight Town that were great for skateboarding. All the raised walkways in the Tram Common offered a wealth of possibilities. But Roxas had a particular fondness for the long hill of Station Heights that led to the nice section of railing on the ramp right before the street split in two directions. The hill would let him build up plenty of speed before grinding along the rail or using the drop off of the ramp to pull off multiple tricks in midair before landing._

_Hayner, Pence, and Olette were waiting near the railing, right where they would perform the Grandstand routine with the ball for spare munny. Today, Roxas was going for a new record. The longest string of tricks combined together without the board touching the ground. The long steep hill would help, but it would take skill and careful timing. It would be hard. But he was confident._

" _Go, Roxas!" shouted Olette._

" _You've got this," added Hayner from their position beside the ramp, barely visible from Roxas's spot near the top._

_Holding up his camera, Pence said, "Ready whenever you are."_

_Grinning, Roxas kicked off. He didn't allow himself much distance to build up speed before he jumped, both him and the skateboard leaving the ground. A quick Method Grab before hitting the wall on the left, shoving off and up to gain further height. A series of 360 degree spins as he moved further along the street. And just as he started to lose altitude, Roxas reached the right side of the street. He managed to sneak in a brief air walk before hitting another wall to kick off, shoving both him and the skateboard up again._

_Listening to the excited cheers from his friends as he neared the wider open area, Roxas alternated between 360 degree spins and Method Grabs. His acrobatics disturbed a pigeon, but he couldn't be distracted. Looking for one more way to extend it out a little longer, he grabbed the edge of the board with one hand while reached down with the other. His fingers managed to wrap around the railing of the ramp. Twisting his body until he was upside-down, Roxas was briefly doing a one-handed handstand before shoving himself upward to complete the flip._

_The following air walk, 360 degree spin, and final quick Method Grab were anticlimactic in comparison to the flip, but he'd certainly broken all records. Roxas landed with practiced ease, beaming proudly before turning to face his cheering friends._

_Who weren't cheering._

_Silence greeted his achievement. No voices, no distant bells or trains, no wind, and not even bird calls from the pigeon frozen in midair. Motionless. Like his friends. The trio frozen in the middle of their excitement. Unblinking, unmoving, and unaware. The world halted and leaving only Roxas untouched._

" _Do not concern yourself. Another glitch, I'm afraid. Soon to be straightened out."_

_Roxas spun at the voice. Walking down the ramp was a robed figure. One with most of his face concealed by red wrappings until a single amber eye was left as the only visible feature. And the boy's guts immediately twisted into knots as soon as Roxas saw him._

" _DiZ," he whispered. "No. You can't be here."_

" _Did you think that this was real?" asked DiZ, sounding bemused. "That you could have all of this?"_

_Shaking his head sharply, Roxas said, "No, no,_ _**no** _ _. I got out. I have my own life."_

" _A Nobody with a life of his own? How absurd. That is as ridiculous as a Nobody with his own heart," he sneered. "You shouldn't even exist."_

_Roxas summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper to his hands. He charged forward, leaping over the edge of the ramp and swinging both Keyblades hard. But they passed through the man in a cloud of data and numbers._

_A simulation. An illusion. A fake._

_All of it was fake. Twilight Town. The pigeon frozen above them. Even Hayner, Pence, and Olette. All of them were fake. A dream of a perfect life to keep him pacified and calm. But none of it was real._

_Roxas swung at him a few more times, shouting in frustration. But it was just as useless as before. He couldn't touch the man._

" _You don't deserve a perfect existence because you don't even exist. A false life for a Nobody," he continued._

"Wake up, Roxas. You need to wake up."

" _Shut up!" snarled Roxas, lashing out at DiZ._

_Not even pausing as the Keyblades continued to pass right through him, DiZ said, "It was too perfect, wasn't it? A heart of your own? The right to exist as your own person? Friends? A home? Everything that you could possibly want? I am a little surprised that you didn't question the simulation more."_

"Come on, Roxas. Wake up."

" _No matter. I will sort out these glitches and let you go back to your fantasy. You'll return to Sora soon enough."_

_Swinging harder and harder, Roxas shouted, "Never again. I'm not Sora. Leave me alone."_

" _That's your sole purpose. To dwell in this programmed simulation until Sora needs you to return."_

" _I made it out. I have a life of my own. I exist."_

" _None of that was real. It never was."_

"Roxas."

He bolted up, hands flailing briefly as they grasped nothing. Panting raggedly, chest pounding, and blinking rapidly, Roxas's head jerked in every direction as he tried to take it all in. The warm orange shade on the walls, still distinctive even in the dim light from the purplish skies outside. The Struggle tournament posters. His black-and-white skateboard in the corner of the room. The dark brown bedspread under him.

His room. His bedroom in Twilight Town. The real one. Not the one from the simulation.

The mattress shifted as Lea sat down next to him. At least Roxas didn't summon his Keyblades like he did during his nightmare on their first night in their new home. He'd been horrified when he realized later that he'd nearly attacked Lea, his Keyblade pointed directly at him. But Lea didn't even flinch that night. Roxas was simply thankful that he hadn't hurt his friend then or after the nightmares since.

Because there had been more nightmares since that first one. Not every night, but they happened. For him and Xion. Enough that Lea came up with a set of rules and a routine on how they should handle it.

"You're safe," said Lea firmly. "You're alive. You're real. _We're_ safe, alive, and real. It was just a nightmare."

Roxas swallowed hard, letting the calm reminders help ground him. He needed to remember what was real. He needed to remember that it wasn't just another simulation.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

Carefully placing a hand on his shoulder, Lea said, "Don't apologize. Remember the first rule?"

He nodded slowly. The rules that they came up with were very clear. Never apologize for nightmares. They weren't anyone's fault. And none of them would get upset if someone's nightmare woke them up. In fact, Lea insisted that if any of them had a bad nightmare, they should go wake up one of the others because they shouldn't be alone. Not that Roxas had needed to do that part yet. After everyone started leaving their doors open at night, Lea tended to wake up first and pull them out of the nightmares before they reached that point.

Roxas did feel guilty sometimes. Lea was the only one who wasn't having nightmares, but he had to help Roxas and Xion with theirs all the time. It didn't seem fair for Lea. But the first rule was no apologizing and he never complained about the loss of sleep. He probably took naps during the day while they were at school.

"What do you need?" asked Lea, continuing the routine.

"To hit DiZ in the face a few times," he muttered.

Giving a breathy chuckle, Lea said, "Understandable. I would have set Master Ansem on fire myself except he helped bring you and Xion back."

"And he helped save your life," he said.

That's what made it complicated. Roxas hated DiZ for everything that he did to him. But as Ansem the Wise, he helped keep Lea alive when Larxene's knives buried into his chest and he nearly died. And for that, he would be forever grateful. The conflicting feelings were awkward. Roxas had settled into an uncomfortable truce where he did his best to ignore the man's existence.

Smiling wryly, Lea asked, "What else do you need?"

Roxas frowned with thought. Now that he was calming down from the nightmare, he wasn't certain what he needed. He rubbed his arms, trying to banish the chill.

"You do know that you're supposed to sleep _under_ the blankets, right?" teased Lea.

Roxas shoved his arm, earning a quiet laugh from Lea. The redhead ruffled his hair briefly before standing up.

"Come on. Plenty of room in the big bed for a half-pint."

That was one of their preferred solutions for nightmares: pile together to go back to sleep. Roxas smiled as he slid out of bed. It was a bit like the first night. But rather than his heavy black coat, they were both wearing their matching white t-shirts and black shorts. They turned out to more comfortable to sleep in.

"Xion sleeping okay tonight?" asked Roxas softly.

"Yep. Apparently she was overdue for some pleasant dreams," he said as they stepped into Lea's bedroom. "But she had some problems last night. We got her some water before she tried to fall back asleep. Not too late if you need a drink."

Shaking his head as he crawled into the oversized bed, Roxas said, "No, thanks."

Dropping roughly on the mattress, Lea tossed a blanket over them before yawning and flinging an arm over Roxas. The boy snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth radiating off Lea. He was solid and real. All of it was real; he was in reality with his best friends, not a simulation. Clinging to that reassurance, Roxas tried to doze back off.

* * *

In the short time since his recompletion, Isa had found himself to be rather busy. The first few days mostly consisted of resting and having various tests run on him. Both Ansem the Wise and Ienzo were keen to run some proper studies on the effects of having a heart restored to a Nobody. And while Even was their preferred candidate since they could compare the results that they recorded after his first completion, Isa ended up being poked and prodded by them more than he cared to be. Lea's avoidance of the apprentices seemed like a wiser decision every day. But at least they determined that Isa didn't seem to be suffering from any obvious problems after everything.

And when they weren't running tests to reassure themselves that the former Nobodies were recovering well, the various inhabitants were working on other important projects. Working on a replica body for Naminé. Trying to recover old files from the computer systems with Tron's help. Updating the defense system protecting Radiant Garden. Sorting out various records from over a decade ago. And all of those projects could use someone with management and organizational skills, which Isa possessed in large amounts.

Lea was right when he suggested that idea.

He found ways to help the more scientifically-inclined people using his skills. It kept him busy and he preferred to be productive. It kept Isa from dwelling on his guilt. When he didn't keep himself distracted with work, he ran the risk of letting his emotions overwhelm him like that first day. Having a heart again was an adjustment.

Isa had claimed a small room in the main part of the castle to serve as a temporary office. Far enough away from the hidden lab that he could avoid disturbing the others as they worked, but not too far that it would be difficult to find him if they had need to. There was just enough space inside for a chair, a desk, and a shelf that he mostly used to pile anything that he couldn't fit on the desk when it became crowded.

At the moment, the desk was covered in several stacks of paperwork. He needed to work his way through some of the hardcopy files that they found in an old storage room. He was supposed to determine if they were files from Master Ansem's original studies of the heart, Xehanort and the other apprentices' later tests involving darkness and the heart, Maleficient's work after she claimed the castle, or something completely unrelated. He'd already found dozens of pages describing the materials ordered during a renovation of the castle from about twenty-five years ago.

It was slow-going, but a necessary task.

He'd been working on it for a couple of hours that morning. Not long enough for the muscles in his back to knot up. But long enough to make some headway into the project. Until a crumpled-up ball of paper bounced off Isa's head.

"You're not working too hard, are you?"

And there was Lea. Leaning against the door frame with a smirk. As if it was natural for him to be poking his head into Isa's impromptu office rather than being on a completely different world with his pair of Keyblade wielders.

"Lea," he greeted, smiling slightly as he stood up.

Stepping closer, he asked, "Miss me?"

"You call me every other day. You don't give me much of a chance to miss you."

But if Isa was honest, it felt good to have Lea there. Talking to him over the Gummiphone was comforting and helped the two of them start reforging their frayed bonds of friendship. They had a lot to rebuild after everything that happened over the last several years. But even the best technology couldn't replace seeing his oldest friend in person.

Tilting his head as he studied Isa, Lea said, "Picked up some new clothes? Definitely a step up from the black coat."

Isa glanced down at himself. While not as professional as the lab coats or the guard uniforms, he felt relatively comfortable in his new outfit. A long-sleeved, knee-length black duster jacket with black pants, there were some design similarities to the black coat. A piece of familiarity to carry with him in his new life. Along the length of the jacket, the sleeves, and the pants were a line of gray camouflage patterning. A combination of silver buttons and a long zipper closed the jacket. And on the upper-left part of the jacket was a small gold medallion with a star and a crescent moon on it. Not exactly an outfit that screamed authority figure, but one that seemed to suit him the same way that Lea's new clothes seemed to fit.

"Riku dropped off a suitcase the other day when he came to discuss the progress with Master Ansem," said Isa.

A fool's errand. It would be highly optimistic to expect any news on the replica body for Naminé or an update on Sora at this stage of events. Isa couldn't imagine the situation would be sorted out in only a couple of weeks. And if there was any news, he suspected that everyone with access to a Gummiphone would be immediately informed. There would be no need to travel to Radiant Garden for an update.

But Isa could also recognize the need to do _something_. Riku needed to feel like he was working towards his goal. Isa could understand that impulse. It drove him to chase weak leads and faint possibilities to find that missing girl for years.

Tugging at a jacket sleeve, Lea said, "Sounds like the three fairies sent you some of their enchanted garments. Should be durable, comfortable, and protective against darkness without being as heavy as our old coats. You should feel lucky that it isn't in plaid." As Isa pulled free, he added, "I think they're waiting to give Roxas and Xion a chance to figure out what they like first before giving them some enchanted clothes."

Isa pushed aside the twinge of jealousy that mentioning the pair caused. He was getting better at handling that specific emotion. It didn't hurt as much to think about the three of them anymore. He recognized the jealousy for what it was and could see how pointless it was. Lea's presence in his office was proof of that. Perhaps someday soon he wouldn't even experience that unpleasant twinge.

"Come on," continued Lea, grabbing his arm. "We better get started."

"Wait, what?" he asked, stumbling as his friend yanked him out of the office and started dragging him down the hall.

Not even slowing down, Lea called over his shoulder, "We're getting out of here and you're taking a break. Roxas and Xion are spending their day off with their new friends, so it's just the two of us today. And we're going to have some fun."

* * *

While school introduced a structured routine that reminded him of his old missions, it also brought along the concept of regular days off. Apparently after every five days of class, there were two days where they didn't go to school. Those days were for homework and hanging around with their friends. And even though Hayner, Pence, and Olette seemed to accept that Lea was no longer the villainous kidnapper that they expected him to be, they weren't eager to hang around with the young man. After some careful discussion, Roxas and Xion figured out a plan. They would split the weekend; one day with their trio of new friends and the other day with Lea.

Today was Hayner, Pence, and Olette's day. Lea had gone off-world while they were busy. Roxas knew where he was and who he was with, but he didn't want to think about that. He and Xion might have told Lea that they would give Isa a chance, but that didn't mean he was eager to see him again. Not yet. He would rather put it off and just focus on having a good day with his friends.

They'd lounged around the Usual Spot at first, a cozy and half-hidden space between a few buildings under the train tracks. There was a relaxed and lazy feeling to the whole thing. Casual and comfortable. And other than Xion and Pence having a friendly competition over a game of darts, the biggest accomplishment was the decision to start looking for more seating for their larger group. The worn green sofa, the wooden crates scattered around, and the unknown machinery with the pipe connected to the back building offered some possibilities, but it might be nice to track down some other options. Pence's attempt to perch on top of the empty oil drum ended with a noisy crash and a promise to keep an eye out for alternatives.

And, after poking around for any seating being tossed out as junk or a giant wooden spool that the hardware store had emptied of wound cable, they decided to do something fun and head towards the Sandlot. Hayner seemed determined to give Roxas and Xion a crash course in Struggle matches. Apparently Roxas's experience in the other Twilight Town didn't count in the teenager's opinion. But it was at least entertaining and Hayner was having a good time.

"There are two main strategies that people tend to focus on," he described. "Some people try to stay defensive, blocking and dodging to avoid losing points. Me? I prefer to go on the offensive. Keep pressing the attack and never give them a chance to retaliate. The best way that I've found to earn a lot of points would be to knock your opponent off their feet and steal as many points as possible before they can recover. Which means the key to victory is knowing how to knock someone on their back and how to regain your own footing in a hurry."

Giving a few practice swings as they walked, Hayner demonstrated his favorite moves. A strong overhead swing. A sideways hit. A low move designed to sweep the legs out from under an opponent. None of them particularly hard to dodge or block. But it was like Lea said; most people didn't have as much experience when it came to fighting as Roxas and Xion did.

Everyone except Pence were carrying the blue padded Struggle bats. There were three main variations of the mock weapon. The basic offense model, the basic defense model, and the advance model designed specifically for more complex and specialized techniques that took time to master and could completely disrupt most strategies. Olette preferred the tricks possible with the advanced model, though she didn't spar as much. Everyone else picked offensive models of bats, with Roxas carrying both an offensive bat and a defensive one.

He liked dual-wielding. And even if he could only use one for the practice match, he liked having options.

"And what are _you_ doing here?"

Hayner abruptly stopped talking, head snapping around at the voice. Roxas also immediately recognized it. The speaker set his teeth on edge. His hands tightened on the foam bats. He had to remind himself not to summon his Keyblades instead.

He was a jerk; not a Heartless or Xehanort.

There were three figures hanging around the Sandlot. And the one in the center was the speaker from before. A black knit hat, a blue crop-top vest, a long sleeveless white jacket, baggy dark-purple pants, and black combat boots, Seifer looked exactly like he did in the simulation. On the left was Rai, a tall and black-hiared guy in an orange shirt and dark sweatpants. And on the right was Fuu. Dressed in a sleeveless blue jacket and capri pants, she watched the group's approach with the one reddish-brown eye not hidden by her silver hair.

The Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee. The trio that Roxas remembered being frustrating and infuriating. And yet he'd never met them before.

"We're teaching our new friends about Struggle battles," said Pence, a little wary.

Crossing his arms, Hayner asked, "And when did you three get back? I thought you went on some kind of 'warrior's journey' or whatever."

Taking a few steps forward, Seifer grinned at them. There was something about him that rubbed Roxas the wrong way. Even knowing that every past interaction never actually happened, he couldn't bury that immediate urge to smack Seifer in the face with a bat.

"After those weird white things showed up and we had to depend on that one kid to help stop them, we realized that we weren't living up to our name," said Seifer. "We're supposed to be the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee. Can't really claim that if we're not the best and capable of defending the place. So yeah, we spent some time traveling around and training until we reached our full potential."

"If those white squiggly things come back, we'll be ready, y'know," added Rai. "They won't know what hit them, y'know."

Nodding, Fuu said, "Thrash them."

"So you're new around here," continued Seifer, eyeing Roxas suspiciously. "And you want _Hayner_ to teach you?"

Glaring as his free hand tightened into a fist, Hayner snapped, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're a joke," he said.

" _Hey_ ," snapped Olette, barely beating Hayner to the sharp outburst.

"Have you seen his technique? He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'defense.'"

"Pushover," added Fuu.

Roxas glared at Seifer, tense as a coiled spring. He wasn't exactly wrong. At least the simulated version of Hayner fought purely offensively with minimal defensive abilities. But that didn't mean that he wanted to hear Seifer point it out.

"Give me five minutes and I'll show you who's a pushover," growled Hayner, moving his bat into a combative position.

"We both already know the answer to that. After all, which one of us is the Struggle match champion?" he asked with a proud grin.

Stepping forward and clenching his fist in front of him, Rai said, "He completely crushed you in the tournament, y'know."

It should have surprised him. Of course the results of the tournament were different in reality than in the simulation. Roxas didn't compete and Vivi wouldn't have been replaced by a Dusk in disguise. Things would have played out differently. He shouldn't be surprised that Seifer won, though it could have been Hayner instead.

"If _you_ intend to teach them," continued Seifer, "they'll be just as easy to thrash."

As Roxas contemplated showing Seifer exactly how _easy_ of an opponent that he was, a flash of black-and-white motion darted forward. Xion crossed the distance between the two groups in an instant. She slid right next to Seifer, facing his side before he could turn. She used the most basic three-hit combo, but with blinding speed and brutality. A strike to the stomach, driving the air out of Seifer. The Xion swung low, sweeping his feet out from under him. And before he hit the ground, an overhead swing slammed into his chest and sent Seifer crashing roughly down.

Roxas winced in sympathy. Xion could hit hard. Seifer was extremely lucky that she was using a Struggle bat.

Rai and Fuu stared down in shock as Seifer lay sprawled on the ground, coughing and wheezing as he tried to breathe. Xion didn't even look at them as she walked back over to her friends.

"You seem like a good teacher to me, Hayner," she said. "Knocking someone off their feet _does_ work great."

And when she gained a small proud smile, everyone took it as a cue to crowd around Xion and brag about how impressive she was. They would need to figure out some more ground rules if they wanted to continue having Struggle matches with everyone. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair. But for now, they could enjoy wiping the smug look off Seifer's face and making Hayner practically crow with pride. The only thing that would have made it better would be if someone got a photo of the entire thing.

* * *

Lea didn't think that he would ever be comfortable in Radiant Garden again. Or at least not for a long time. Anxiety and discomfort churned in his stomach for multiple reasons, even as he hid it. But he did immediately feel a little better after dragging Isa out of the castle.

Though he didn't quite manage to convince Isa to try sneaking past Dilan and Aeleus for old time's sake. Or rather, he _did_ convince him, but it was the most half-hearted attempt that Lea had ever seen.

They spent most of the day taking a trip down memory lane. Back to their childhood before things became complicated and everything started falling apart. Exploring old neighborhoods to see what had changed from when they were teenagers and what looked the same. The flower gardens that his old home world was known for seemed just as bright and colorful as he remembered. And when they found the elaborate fountains, tall structures that stretched up the wall and perfect for kids to splash in during warm days, Lea nearly shoved Isa in. Because that's what they used to do. It didn't work because Isa had a better sense of balance than he did at eight, but it earned Lea an amused chuckle. Lea would call it a victory.

What they did not do was go near where they used to live. They didn't want to talk about it, but neither of them wanted to risk encountering their old families. It would just be too much.

Isa wouldn't want to face his family, to admit what he'd become in the years since they last saw him. He wouldn't want to see them over a decade older and know that they spent that time as refugees on other worlds. But he also wouldn't want to see them exactly as they were before, meaning that they were lost during the fall of Radiant Garden and only returned after the world was properly restored. Neither option would be pleasant for someone who was involved in working for Xemnas in those final days. Before the world lost its heart to darkness, but after they did.

Lea didn't want to risk running into his parents for a different reason. While it would be awkward to see Isa's family again, they would be grateful to see their grown son alive and well. That went without question. But Lea knew that if he saw his own parents, it would be worse. They probably didn't even remember that he ever existed.

As the day shifted towards afternoon, Lea slipped away for a moment. The history of the ice cream shop in Radiant Garden was a complicated one. It was originally run by one family during their childhood, creating the perfect sea-salt ice cream recipe. Then Radiant Garden fell and was restored, but they didn't immediately return to running the shop. There was too much work involved in repairing Hollow Bastion in those early days. But Scrooge McDuck arrived, recreated the recipe from his memory of tasting the frozen treat, and started making a bundle. And when he left to open a restaurant off-world, he arranged for someone to run the business in his absence while continuing to collect munny. All of these details were quickly relayed by the chatty young man as he collected the sea-salt ice cream that Lea purchased.

Lea and Isa found a comfortable spot on the stone wall surrounding the town. It wasn't late enough for the sun to be setting and it wasn't a clocktower, but they could sit up there with their legs dangling over the edge and stare out across the surroundings. And just like when they were young, they quietly ate their sea-salt ice cream.

But they weren't kids anymore. And as fun as it was to pretend for a day, they couldn't avoid more recent topics.

"Did you find out anything about her yet?" asked Lea quietly. "The girl who used to be in locked up down there?"

Shaking his head, Isa said, "Nothing. I spoke with Master Ansem about her, but he doesn't know what happened either. Her disappearance convinced him that he needed to take a step back, look at what he was doing, and stop his experiments on the heart. A wakeup call, if you will."

"Not that it stopped Xehanort and the others from continuing," he muttered.

"Apparently, Xehanort's Heartless was equally curious about what happened to her."

"That narrows it down. If he and Master Ansemt don't know and the rest of the apprentices haven't brought it up yet, that either leaves some unknown person or force snatching her away or…"

"Or Braig has even more secrets than we thought," finished Isa.

Grinning sharply, Lea said, "Guess we'll have to find his recompleted self and ask a few questions then."

"I'll keep searching for clues until then. He was here for a long time and he must have left some hints behind."

Lea nodded thoughtfully before taking another bite of ice cream. Isa could keep looking through paperwork, searching for clues. But they could also spread the word around for everyone to keep an eye out for Braig. They were already searching for Sora. It wouldn't take much extra work to watch out for an extra person.

"And what about you, Lea? Have you been keeping yourself busy?" asked Isa.

Shrugging, he said, "Got an apartment, got everything set up, got the fake paperwork from Ienzo to show that the half-pints exist, and got them into a school. That gave me plenty to do for the last couple of weeks or so."

"Sounds expensive and difficult, taking care of all of that. Are you doing okay, Lea? Do you need help?"

"I'm fine." Hesitating a moment, he lied. "Got a job and everything like a responsible adult."

That wasn't exactly a lie. Going out to fight Heartless for munny was almost like a job. It was hard work, exhausting, and occasionally painful. Maybe he could call it being self-employed.

"You? Responsible?" asked Isa.

Lea shoved him, earning a quiet chuckle from his friend. Then Isa took another bite of his ice cream. Like he was still the sensible and stoic Saïx instead of the person that Lea grew up with, the one with the subtle sense of humor and a bit of a sarcastic streak. It fooled no one. Isa did his best to look innocent and Lea seriously considered pushing him off the wall.

"Roxas and Xion seem to be happy though," continued Lea. "They have nightmares, but they seem happier now. More like normal kids. They have a home, new friends, and the life that they deserve. The kind of life that they've never had before. And I've managed to keep them safe and alive since we got them back. Sounds responsible to me."

He saw the brief flash of discomfort on Isa's face at the mention of the Keyblade wielders. Jealousy and guilt. But then he swallowed and the emotions slipped away. Isa was working on his issues with the pair, but he wasn't ready to face them yet. Just like Roxas and Xion weren't ready to confront Isa either.

It would take time. But Lea could be patient. He had hope.

"They have plenty of reason to have nightmares," said Isa simply. "I… I may be the reason for some of those nightmares."

Lea winced slightly, but he couldn't argue against it. Mostly because he didn't always know what they dreamed about. They didn't always share. Sometimes Lea could guess from what they said afterwards, but not every time.

"We both have reasons to feel guilty about how things worked out. I hurt them too," he said quietly. "But we also both have the chance to make things right."

Lea took a final bite of his ice cream, leaving the stick bare. Unlike in Twilight Town, there weren't any sticks with "Winner" written on them. There was no reason to check or keep them. No reason to tuck one away in his pocket to remember someone who was gone. He twisted the wooden stick between his fingers.

"And what about you, Isa?" he asked. "Any nightmares?"

Isa looked away, but not before Lea caught a glimpse of the grimace on his face. Lea's hand moved to settle on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. The gesture coaxed Isa into turning back towards him.

"I told you to call me if you needed me. That includes nightmares," said Lea gently. "Doesn't matter what's going on or what time it is. If you need me, call me. I'll be there."

"I told you that I would."

"Promise?"

Sighing tiredly, Isa said, "I promise that I'll call next time that something happens."

Lea grinned to himself. Then he slowly stood back up, brushing off his clothes.

"I wish that I could stay longer," he said. "But it is getting late and I need to be getting back."

"Roxas and Xion are expecting you?" asked Isa, climbing to his feet as well.

He nodded. Lea was doing better at bundling away the feeling of anxiety and distracting himself from the emotions. That was the only reason that he'd managed to handle the day at all. But those feelings were still there and just as strong. And he couldn't ignore it completely. As nice as it was to spend time with his oldest friend, Lea would feel better once he could see Roxas and Xion. Once he could reassure himself of their safety. He knew that it made him paranoid, but he couldn't help it.

"I can walk back to the castle with you first," said Lea. "I can spare a few more minutes."

Smiling wryly, Isa said, "You don't want to try sneaking in? We used to be good at it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go. A fun day out for everyone. They've earned this.
> 
> Also, the thing about Seifer and his friends going on a "warrior's journey"? While none of them appear in "Kingdom Hearts 3," some of the NPC dialogue does reference them going on such a journey as an explanation for where they are. It is easy to miss or ignore though. But they went on their journey and now they're back. Just in time for Xion to knock Seifer right on his back. Don't insult her new friends.


	7. Puberty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter gets a bit of an extra warning for those of you who are of a sensitive nature. We have two teenage toddlers as main characters. Which means that 1) they don't have a lot of life experience despite their physical ages, 2) they missed out on a lot of important basic information about being people, and 3) they are at the point where puberty is a thing.
> 
> And it is the messy and unpleasant parts of puberty that will be touched on today. Nothing too graphic, but the fic is rated "T" for a reason. If that's a problem and you don't want to continue, that's understandable. But poor Xion is no longer a replica whose appearance changes depending on the viewer. Her new body is the same as that of Kairi's and there are certain things that happen to girls like that. Mind the tags.

Warm, drowsy, and cozy, Lea lingered on the delicate edge. Balanced between consciousness and slumber. He knew that he would have to get up soon. He'd vaguely noticed when Roxas had climbed out of the king-sized bed. That meant that he would need to get up soon and figure out some breakfast. But Lea found it hard to convince himself to wake up fully and start moving.

He was tired still, but he tended to remain that way. But at least there were no nightmares for himself last night. He always slept better with at least one of the half-pints within arm's reach. Last night had been one of Roxas's rough ones. One of the nightmares that hit early and left Roxas ready for a fight when he woke up. He did better once Lea calmed him down. And after the boy settled in, Lea slept like the dead.

And now he didn't want to get up. He just wanted to bury his head under a pillow to block out the early reddish-orange light.

Just a few more minutes.

A few more minutes and he would get up. He would get up and toss some cereal and toast onto the table for everyone. Lea would get breakfast for them before they headed off to school. He just wanted to stay warm in his oversized bed for a little longer.

"Axel, _help!_ "

The terrified, desperate, and frantic shout from Roxas had Lea dashing out of his bedroom and scrambling down the hall before ration thought had a chance to form or for him to even comprehend the words. Panic gripped him hard, pulse racing and horrible scenarios flashing through his head. He nearly crashed to the ground as he flung himself into Xion's room, the source of the cry for help.

Both Roxas and Xion were present, which should have been reassuring. Except the twisted and rumpled bedding was stained with blood smeared on it and Xion pressed her back against the headboard, half-curled and pale. Pale and absolutely petrified. She almost seemed to be hyperventilating. Roxas held Oathkeeper tightly, his hands shaking. Both of them looked frightened, eyes wide and staring at the blood as the faint green glow of a Cure spell faded.

They looked frightened and incredibly young.

"It isn't working," said Roxas, looking up with wild eyes. "I keep trying, but it isn't working. What's wrong with her? Why won't it work?"

Fears screamed in Lea's head. He could barely think through his own terror. Fears about something being wrong and the Keyblade wielders being seriously hurt. Fears that there was something horribly wrong with their new replica bodies and they would fall apart. Fears of them being wounded, bleeding, _dying_.

There was blood smeared on Xion's sheets, on her curled legs, on her black shorts…

A memory from before he lost his heart, from health class back in school, hit hard through the panic. A lesson that had half the students snickering or squirming with discomfort. A lesson that he didn't remember many details from, but Lea remembered enough to put the current horror scene into context.

It made sense, now that he thought about it. Xion was originally one of the earliest versions of a replica. And during their Organization days, Xion's physical appearance depended on who was viewing her. She wouldn't have really been any specific sex at that point. She had been even less like a human than the rest of the Nobodies, at least physically. And despite having to teach them about almost everything, there had been no point where Axel felt compelled to explain puberty to Roxas or Xion. But now, about three and a half weeks after claiming a more human-like replica body, they were being confronted by certain biological facts of life.

Facts that Lea was in no way equipped to help them handle.

But there were two terrified half-pints who didn't know what was wrong and who needed him. Which meant that ready or not, it was time for him to step up.

Though he _really_ regretted not paying closer attention in class that day.

Swallowing back the remnants of his earlier panic and his new overwhelming uncertainty, Lea tried to figure out a quick plan. He needed to get things under control. And that meant prioritizing. Xion was terrified into a silent, wide-eyed, and shaking ball, staring at the mess without apparently seeing anything and her arms curled around her middle. She seemed completely traumatized by her body betraying her. After everything that had happened to her over her short existence, he knew it had to be a horrible feeling. But pulling her out of the blind terror would take time. Lea knew it would.

It would be simpler to handle Roxas first. The boy looked like he was experiencing every traumatic memory of loss. He'd already seen Xion disappear once and he'd seen Axel fade away through Sora's eyes. And now he was confronted with Xion, bleeding and hurting in a way that he couldn't heal. Roxas was just as scared of losing her as she was of what was happening.

But Roxas hadn't sunk to that same level of unresponsiveness. Calming Roxas would be faster. And once Lea helped him, he could focus on Xion.

"Roxas," he said firmly, making the frantic boy's head snap around. Lea took his arm and pulled Roxas away from the bed. "Listen carefully. I know what's happening. It's going to be all right."

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, he banished his Keyblade. Roxas stared at him. Silently begging for answers and wanting to trust him. Lea pulled him gently towards the hall. Xion would be able to see them if she looked through the doorway, but it would give them some space to talk.

Gripping Roxas's shoulders while crouching down to his level, Lea said evenly, "She's going to be fine."

"She's not broken? She's not dying?" he whispered.

"No, she's not. There's no danger. But I need you to go ahead and get ready for school."

"I can't _leave_ her."

"But you also don't want to stress her out more than what she is right now, right? Because she needs us to be calm. Roxas, I need you to go and get Xion's homework. And tell the teachers that she's sick today. I need you to go to school like normal and not worry the entire day. If you can do that, I can focus on helping Xion. Can I depend on you to do that while I fix this?"

"I thought you said she wasn't broken," he whispered frantically.

Wincing, Lea admitted, "Okay, bad choice of words. Not fix then. I need to sort it out."

"But you aren't explaining anything," he said desperately. "We agreed no more secrets. Why won't you just tell me what's wrong with Xion?"

"Because it is complicated and will take a while to explain properly. And the longer that I spend explaining what's going on with her, the longer Xion will have to wait before I can help her. Right now, Xion needs to take priority. So can you trust me when I promise to explain everything after you get back?" Knowing how hard the request was considering their history, Lea said, "Please trust me for now. Go to school, tell anyone who asks that Xion isn't feeling well, and try to keep your friends from coming to visit. Xion probably isn't going to feel like company."

Roxas stared at him silently for a moment, a hundred different emotions and thoughts flashing across his face. Then he glanced towards the bedroom and the terrified girl. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he nodded.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Lea said, "Good. Now… Change clothes, get a bowl of cereal, grab your backpack, and get to school. You handle that and I'll take care of Xion. Okay?"

He hesitated a moment longer, clearly reluctant to leave. He'd never been happy to go when something was wrong with his friend. Even if he couldn't do anything, he just wanted to be there for them. But somehow Lea must have earned back enough trust with the boy that he finally headed back to his room to hurry through the normal morning routine.

Lea closed his eyes for a brief second. That was one half-pint dealt with for the moment. Now he needed to work on the bigger issue.

He moved back towards the bed, trying to figure out how to approach things. Xion was still curled in a shaking ball with blood smeared on her. And as he edged closer, Lea could tell that she was trying to say something. Barely breathing out the words. Only occasionally audible sounds. Some form of denial. Too upset and scared by what was happening to properly scream or cry.

No wonder he didn't realize anything was wrong until Roxas shouted.

"Xion," he said gently. Lea reached out to cup her face. "Look at me."

Blinking her bright blue eyes, and those were definitely tears running down her face, Xion finally seemed to see him. Something in Lea squirmed uncomfortably at the sight of her tears and how unprepared he was for this conversation. But he couldn't give up now. She needed him.

"I'm broken," she whispered, still shaking. "It's broken. My new body's broken too. I don't want to disappear again."

Brushing back her black hair, Lea said, "You're not broken. You won't disappear. We won't let that happen. And I know what's happening and we'll sort it out." She took a shuddering breath at his words, almost like a relieved sob. "How about we start by cleaning up a bit? You'll feel better with a warm bath."

Xion managed an unsteady nod. But she made no further movements. She couldn't even bring herself to uncurl from her tight ball.

She wasn't a coward by any definition. He knew that Xion would face down any Heartless without hesitation. But having her body turn against her was something completely different.

Lea moved carefully, slowly scooping her up in his arms and lifting her off the bed. Then he carried her to the bathroom and set her on her feet. He waited until she seemed to shrug off the worst of her state of shock before he moved his arms away.

"Leave your clothes outside the door and run yourself a warm bath," he said gently. "I'll get some laundry started."

Still too pale and shivery, Xion gave another nod before closing the door. Lea headed back towards her room. He stripped the stained sheets from the bed, carried them to the main room and the washing machine, nodded towards Roxas as the boy hurried out the door, and measured out the heavy-duty detergent that he'd picked out from the store _specifically_ to remove tough stains considering the types of adventures that they get dragged into. He moved with purpose, giving every outer appearance of being calm and in control.

But on the inside, Lea was mentally screaming.

The last time that he thought about the topic was when he was twelve and health class went over puberty. He wasn't even certain what his grade on the test afterwards ended up being. He might have flunked it for all that he knew.

He certainly didn't think about it at all during his Nobody days. He didn't worry or consider it when he first got to know Xion; he assumed that she either already knew or that it wasn't an issue for a Nobody. It wasn't like he'd asked Larxene if she had problems once a month.

Lea didn't know what he was doing. His memory was pretty good, but _not_ on this particular subject. Some barely remembered facts from a textbook that he read over a decade ago was not enough to qualify him to explain what was happening.

Hands braced on the edges of the washing machine and taking deep breaths, Lea tried to settle his frantic thoughts. They kept spiraling in a faster and faster circle.

He needed to help Xion. He didn't know how. He needed to help Xion. He didn't know how. He needed to help Xion, he didn't know how, _he needed to help Xion_ —

Lea shook his head sharply before ducking back into the hallway to retrieve the stained clothes. He tossed them into the washing machine with the rest of the laundry, starting up a longer cycle. Then he washed his hands before heading back. He could hear the water running, gradually filling up the tub.

He couldn't help her. He didn't know what to do to make everything all right. But Lea had one desperate idea on how to get Xion the help that she needed.

Knocking quietly on the door, Lea asked, "Xion? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she said, her voice muffled by the wood.

"Everything is going to be fine. Just take a nice warm bath and relax until I get back."

"You're leaving?" she asked, a hint of panic slipping out as the pitch of her voice rose.

Leaning his forehead against the door, Lea said, "I _have_ to go. I'm getting someone to help. I promise that it won't take long and then I'll be back." An idea sparked suddenly. "Can you hear the washing machine on the other side of the door?"

"Yes?"

"Just stay in the tub and listen to it. I'll be back before it stops running. Okay?"

Hesitating a moment, Xion quietly answered, "Okay."

Lea moved quickly, heading back towards his room. He couldn't waste any time. He yanked on his old black coat from the wardrobe and threw it over his shorts and t-shirt. Then, creating a dark corridor at the end of the hallway, he raced out.

* * *

Xion turned off the water when the bathtub was full and slowly climbed in. She hissed as she sank into the almost scalding temperature of the water, but only took a couple of moments to adjust. And the heat sank into her body. Calming her despite her fears and soothing the sharp ache in her lower stomach.

The pain hurt, though not as much as being hit by a Heartless. But it scared her. The deep pain combined with the blood that seemed to come from nowhere, not a single visible wound on her while it dripped from between her legs. Something in her must be broken. Her new body was broken. Just like when she absorbed too many memories that didn't belong to her and ended up transformed to look like Sora. Something was wrong and Xion didn't want to fade away again.

She drew her legs up and hugged them close to her chest. She didn't want to disappear again. Xion didn't know what would happen to her if she did. Would she return to Sora? They didn't even know where he was. Would her heart join with Kingdom Hearts instead? Or would she simply cease to exist without a trace?

She didn't want to go away. She just wanted stay. To be with her friends. To have a life. It wasn't fair.

Xion took a shaking breath, wiped at the tears on her face, and listened to the quiet rumbling of the washing machine. Lea said that she wasn't broken. That he was going to get someone to help.

Probably someone who knew about replica bodies like Vexen— _Even_.

It would be all right. Lea would fix everything. She had to trust that. He wouldn't let Xion fade away again. Neither he nor Roxas would let her go. And if he couldn't prevent it, he would find a way to bring her back.

So she sat in the lightly-steaming water and listened to the washing machine on the other side of the wall, trying to remain calm. He would be back soon. And when he got back, everything would be all right.

* * *

The walk to school in the morning should have been a quiet experience, giving Kairi far too much time with only her thoughts. It would be easy to dwell and let herself sink into that guilt, grief, and loss. But while her path to school didn't take her by Riku's home, she didn't walk alone.

Selphie was a little younger than Kairi, but a very friendly and sweet girl. And she was perfectly happy to fill the silence with her chatter as they followed the path towards school, enjoying the early morning sun and the occasional calls of seagulls. She would talk about different things that she, Tidus, and Wakka would do. Or recently, Selphie would discuss her theories concerning Kiru. She seemed curious about him. About where he came from, how he was related to Riku, and if she should invite him to visit the play island sometime. Kairi suspected that Selphie might have a crush on him.

And the more that she thought about it, the more that Kairi thought it would end badly if her friend did have a crush. Kairi didn't know what exactly the relationship between Kiru and Naminé might be beyond the drowsy, warm, and bright feeling from the heart resting inside her. But she suspected that Selphie wouldn't have much luck if she tried to pursue Kiru.

Perhaps it was time to warn her. Before Selphie got her feelings hurt.

"—And I know that he looks exactly like Riku did at that age," continued Selphie, swinging her white bag back and forth in her arms as she walked, "but he really is kind of cute in a quiet and withdrawn sort of way. He has that mysterious loner thing going on and you just want to… find that sweet side that you know is inside."

Trying to keep her tone casual, Kairi said, "I'm sure he'll open up more once his friend comes back."

"His friend?"

Nodding, she said, "He's waiting for her. Naminé. Kiru would do anything for her. I know that he misses her deeply, but he looks forward to when they are reunited and he won't have to worry anymore."

Rather than look disappointed by the revelation, Selphie seemed delighted. Her eyes lit up, her face erupted into a bright smile, and she practically squealed in excitement.

"That sounds so romantic," she said. "Is it true love? Did he promise to wait for her forever?"

Laughing slightly, Kairi said, "I don't even know if it's like that. They could just be really good friends."

"Should I ask him about Naminé? Do you think that Kiru would tell me about their love story?"

"Don't do that, Selphie. It would be like asking _Riku_ something like that. You'll just end up with someone bright red and unable to answer any questions for the rest of the afternoon."

She chuckled at the idea. But Kairi's attention was immediately yanked away by the feeling of darkness and a familiar sound. Both she and Selphie spun around to see a swirling corridor of darkness behind them. And a tall figure in a black coat with the hood pulled up stepped through.

Kairi's hand shot out and she gathered power, ready to summon Destiny's Embrace and cast a strong fire spell. She refused to be kidnapped that morning.

Then he shoved back his hood to reveal a rather frantic-looking Lea, who immediately dove to grab her extended hand.

"I need you to come with me," he said quickly.

Kairi opened her mouth, intending to ask what happened and what was wrong. But there was a sudden shout and a jump rope snapped against his forearm. Lea yelped in surprise, letting go.

"Run, Kairi!"

Her head snapped around to see Selphie bouncing around in her school uniform, her bag on the ground and the girl holding her jump rope like a weapon. Which raised the question of why she was bringing a jump rope to school, but apparently that was something that she decided to do. And now she was trying to drive off a stranger in black using a toy.

"Why is everyone trying to attack me?" complained Lea, shaking his arm briefly.

"Because you came out of a corridor of darkness to grab me, Axel. _Again_ ," said Kairi before turning towards the other girl. "It's fine, Selphie. He's a friend."

Still balanced on the balls of her feet and holding her jump rope aggressively, she asked, "Really? 'Cause he looks really creepy and dangerous."

"He is sometimes, but he won't hurt us." Kairi turned her attention back towards him. "What happened, Axel? Why didn't you call me?"

Wincing, he said, "Calling. Right. Wasn't thinking. But I need help, Kairi, and you're the only person that I can ask." Running an anxious hand through his hair before scratching the back of his head, Lea admitted, "Well, I could try Aqua, but I don't know her that well, Xion doesn't know her that well either, and the whole thing is awkward enough to ask about without trying it with someone who is still that new to us."

He was rambling. Lea was rambling. He didn't ramble like that. Whatever was wrong really had him frazzled.

Kairi turned and said, "Selphie, can you cover for me at school? Sounds like we've got a bit of an emergency. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You got it," she said, her stance relaxing as she started winding up her jump rope. "Tell everyone you're home sick?"

Nodding, Kairi said, "Everyone except Riku. You can tell him that I went to help Axel."

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to hurry back. I told Xion that I wouldn't be gone long," he said, taking a step closer to the corridor of darkness. "I promise I'll explain on the way, but we need to go."

Kairi wasn't wearing her bespelled clothes that the three fairies gave her. She was dressed only in her ordinary school uniform, practically identical to what Selphie was wearing. And there was nothing unusual in her durable brown bag. She was not equipped for a proper adventure. But she didn't need the protection from the darkness and she could summon her Keyblade if she needed it. She would be fine. Kairi didn't need to pause or grab anything before following Lea into the dark corridor.

* * *

Stepping into the apartment, he could tell that Kairi clearly wished that she could look around properly. She craned her neck briefly, trying to take in every inch of their new surroundings. She was a curious girl and he knew that she wanted to explore beyond the light tan hallway that they emerged in. But after Lea explained what happened, she seemed to understand the urgency. She'd pulled out some paper and a pencil from her bag at some point and started scribbling as they hurried through the dark corridor. Kairi seemed to be putting together her plan of attack.

At least one of them knew what they were doing.

The washing machine buzzed briefly, signaling the end of the cycle. He managed to keep his promise to Xion. Which was good since he definitely didn't want to risk upsetting her worse. Lea knocked gently on the bathroom door.

"Axel?" she called a little desperately.

"Yeah, I'm here." Lea smiled weakly. "I brought someone to talk to you. You remember Kairi?"

Stepping over to the bathroom door, Kairi said, "Hey, Xion. Can I come in and talk?"

There was a brief hesitation before an uncertain "okay" came through the door. Then Kairi shoved the piece of paper into his hand.

"I'll handle Xion," she said quietly. "Can you go pick up everything on that list?"

He didn't want to leave again. Not until he was certain that she would be all right. But Kairi would be able to help her more than he could. He could trust her. The best thing that he could do was exactly what Kairi asked. He could make certain that Xion would have everything that she needed.

He had a plan now. Change out of his black coat, move the laundry to the dryer, and then shopping for emergency supplies. Lea could handle that much.

* * *

Kairi slipped inside before closing the bathroom door behind her. It was a long and relatively narrow space, painted the same light tan color as the hallway and simple white tiles on the floor. There was a sink on the left side and a toilet on the right, both of them made of white porcelain. And the far end was dominated by a tub half hidden by a white shower curtain. Kairi carefully edged closer before sitting on the tan rug beside the bathtub, settling her bag beside her.

The shower curtain might have hidden part of the tub, but not everything. Xion sat curled up in the water, chin resting on her knees and watching with uncertain eyes. The lost expression broke Kairi's heart. At least she'd known what was happening back when she first experienced the same thing. Some science classes at school and her adopted mother explained everything ahead of time. Xion didn't have that advantage. Her body just started doing new things for no apparent reason.

"Axel told me what happened this morning," said Kairi gently. "I guess that scared you a bit. I know how you feel."

Raising head, she asked slowly, "You do?"

"The sudden bleeding? Maybe some aching down here?" she asked, touching her lower stomach to demonstrate.

"Yes?" said Xion, uncurling slightly.

Kairi started digging through her bag and said, "You're based a little on me. Or at least, Sora's memories of me. But the important thing is that you're like me. And that's what happens with girls like me."

She frowned briefly in frustration. Why did this always happen? Whenever she needed something from her schoolbag, it always ended up at the very bottom? No matter what she wanted to grab, it always migrated to the hardest spot to reach.

"I don't know what happens with people from other worlds. Like the mermaids that Sora met in Atlantica, Mrs. Potts from the Beast's Castle, or Queen Minnie and Daisy at Disney Castle," she continued, mentally going through the various worlds that she'd never had a chance to truly visit with Sora like they'd talked about. Kairi shook off the sad stray thought and focused more on the present. "But for girls like you and me, this happens when we're old enough. Boys like Sora, Roxas, and probably Axel go through different things as they age, but it's part of this process called puberty. It just means we're not quite little kids anymore and are slowly getting closer to being adults. It isn't fun for us, but it is a normal part of growing up."

"This is normal? I'm not broken?"

"No. You're perfectly normal," said Kairi, yanking out her textbooks, notebooks, and pencils from the bag to make it easier to find what she was looking for. "The bleeding, achiness, and stuff? When your body gets used to it, it'll happen in a regular cycle. The bleeding will stop in about a week and then it'll be gone until next month."

Victory. Kairi's hand finally wrapped around the spare emergency pad that she kept in her schoolbag. She pulled it out and held it up to show Xion.

"Until this cycle is over, you'll need to use one of these. I'll show you how to put them on and we can talk some more if you want. But first, how about you drain out that water and take a warm shower? The water in the tub probably getting cold by now."

* * *

Lea stared at the shelves of the local grocery store silently for several minutes. He glanced back down at the list before looking back up towards the shelves of products. Apparently, the brands on the Destiny Islands didn't match the ones for Twilight Town. Which made Kairi's list a lot less useful.

Some of the items were easy enough to figure out, even if they weren't exactly the same as what she requested. He'd already added some bars of chocolate to the basket. Chocolate was chocolate, regardless of the name on the wrapper. But for the more important items, there seemed to be dozens of different products in different sizes and styles. And Lea didn't know enough about feminine supplies to even fake it.

Should he just grab a box of each one? He could get a little of everything and let Kairi figure out which one was the closest to the ones that she bought on her home world. That could get expensive. But it would be better than not finding what Xion needed.

Lea reached out and grabbed the arm of a passing stock boy. Someone a few years older than Sora and the others, but far too spindly and gangly to swing a Keyblade properly.

"I need some recommendations," said Lea, gesturing at the numerous products.

The poor employee immediately blanched when he realized what Lea was asking about. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't like Lea was forcing him to come back to the apartment to explain how to use them to Xion, step-by-step.

Though if he hadn't found Kairi, that might have ended up as a possible backup plan.

"Lea?"

He turned at the sound of his name. Gina walked over to him with a concerned frown. The older woman was carrying her own basket with more normal groceries like bread and rice. She glanced between him and the poor stock boy that he was currently holding hostage. Then she looked towards the shelves. Finally, an expression of realization and comprehension blossomed across her face.

"Oh, dear," she said. "Your girl? Xion?" Gina studied his expression a moment longer. "And I'm guessing that this is the first time that this has happened. Most girls that I grew up with started younger, but there's nothing wrong with being a late bloomer."

Grimacing, he admitted, "Yeah. Bit of a new experience for both of us. Caught us by surprise."

"Would you like some assistance? I don't have to deal with that issue myself anymore, but I have a few decades of experience with the matter. I might be able to offer some help," suggested Gina carefully.

Lea hesitated a moment. Then he released his grip on the stock boy and let the young man flee for the safety of the registers. Gina took the gesture as acceptance and took a step closer.

"First, ignore all of these," she said, gesturing towards a row of teal boxes. "Those usually work better when girls are closer to grown. Unless she wants to go swimming, I would suggest staying with pads for the first few years. Her body is still growing and adapting, after all. Her cycle probably won't even be regular the first few times anyway."

Gina picked up a pink box and a purple one, considering them carefully. Then she set down the pin box before grabbing a green one. Lea couldn't really tell much difference, but apparently the mysterious and cryptic descriptions meant something to her. The older woman nodded thoughtfully before handing the green box to Lea.

"They came out with a new material for them a few years ago," she continued. "Much nicer than what they used in my day. Now the pads can be thinner and lighter while being just as effective. Which will feel much more comfortable and less bulky, especially for someone who is still getting used to pads in general. And always make sure to buy the ones with wings to help keep them in place. I'm sure that Xion will appreciate that." She picked up a different green box. "The smaller size will work for lighter days, but these longer ones are better for wearing at night while she sleeps or if she plans to be particularly active. Less chance of leaks."

Lea dutifully placed the second box in his basket. He hoped there were instructions in the box just in case Kairi didn't explain everything. Because he certainly couldn't help Xion with that part. Though now that he thought about it, asking Gina would have been simpler and faster than snatching Kairi from another world.

Of course, he trusted Kairi and she knew more about Xion's background than Gina. She knew how young Xion truly was. Less chance of misunderstandings or missing important information because she assumed that everyone already knew about something basic.

"Do you have a teapot?" she asked suddenly.

Blinking in surprise, Lea said, "No?"

Gina started walking and, after a moment of hesitation, Lea followed. She led him towards a different corner of the small store. And once there, she started hunting among the small containers.

"I believe that I have an entire tea set that I never use. You would be doing me a favor by taking it off my hands. I have too much clutter at the moment." Gina smiled and said, "Normal potions only help somewhat with the cramps. They can dull pain to an extent, but there is nothing there to really heal. And while they make medicine specifically to help, I always preferred tea. Ginger tea always seemed to work best for me, though it tends to have some bite to it. If the ginger is too spicy, raspberry tea can also help. Xion might prefer the more fruity and tart flavor instead. Even peppermint does a decent job, though I wouldn't rely on that one as much when it comes to cramps."

"Ginger or raspberry tea," repeatedly Lea dutifully.

Should he be taking notes? He didn't have anything to write with. Maybe he could get Gina to write down everything later.

"At night, don't use the other teas. They'll just keep her awake. A cup of chamomile tea before bed. You might like it as well," she said. "It'll help Xion, but chamomile tea is also good when it comes to calming down, relaxing, and sleeping."

"Anything else?"

"You're already doing well with the dark chocolate. Salty foods tend to make the symptoms worse, but chocolate helps for some reason. And on the worst days, it might be worth investing in a heating pad or a hot water bottle." She reached out and took his arm, leading him away casually as if they often went on shopping trips together. "Let me show you which stain remover works best on blood."

Notes. He definitely should be taking notes. Or maybe he could pick up a book afterwards. He remembered seeing a bookstore at one point over the years. He'd done enough reconnaissance in Twilight Town over the years that he should be able to find it again.

* * *

When Lea made it back to the apartment, his arms loaded down with bags of supplies, he found two teenage girls curled up on the couch. Xion seemed calmer than earlier. Wrapped in Lea's oversized black bathrobe, Xion was leaned in close to Kairi, both of them messing with a Gummiphone. Judging by the sounds, they were playing a game.

"Everything all right here?" he asked as he closed the door.

Glancing up, Kairi said, "I think so. I stole a bathrobe for Xion to wear since she said her pajamas were still in the dryer. Also, your bed is impractically big and amazing. I'm extremely jealous."

Lea grinned as he set his load on the table. In addition to everything that he found at the grocery store, he did swing by the bookstore to find a backup resource. Then there was the box that Gina thrusted at him when she ran into him again before Lea could make it back upstairs. He was very much aware that the green teapot and four matching teacups were clearly brand new and she probably bought them while he was in the bookstore. But Lea wasn't going to complain about it.

"Did you explain what's going on?" he asked.

Grimacing, Kairi said, "I talked about the basics of what's happening and what she'll need to do about it. Anything more detailed or anything to do with the actual…" She gestured vaguely as her face reddened. "Sorry, but I left the rest vague."

"Once a month," said Xion, looking up from the Gummiphone, "for a week. And it goes on forever."

"Well, not _forever_ ," she muttered.

Pulling the oversized and plush fabric tighter around herself, Lea's large bathrobe nearly swallowing her up, Xion said, "It's not fair. Can we go talk to Even and ask him to take out the stuff that makes it happen?"

"First, I'm impressed that you remembered his name is Even now," he said before flopping on the couch next to them, dragging a hand down his face. "And second, can we wait until you've known about everything for more than a few hours before you decide to ask a mad scientist to rip out your organs? That's not too much to ask, is it? Just give yourself some time to consider it before making any rash decision, please. If you still feel like it later, we'll go talk to him about it. Deal?"

Xion gave a slow nod before turning her attention back towards the Gummiphone. She seemed to be enjoying the game. Lea had poked at them before and found it amusing that each Gummiphone seemed to use a tiny, pixilated version of the owner for the games. Which mean a tiny version of Xion was moving across the screen.

"There some pads in the bag and some chocolate," he said. Lea reached around to squeeze her with a one-armed hug. "Give me a moment or two and I'll fix up some tea I want you to try. Gina told me it should help."

Lea didn't stand back up immediately. He just wanted to relax after the stressful morning. Just a chance to sit, do nothing, and not have to worry about his half-pints. They should have a few calm hours before Roxas made it home. Lea didn't feel comfortable leaving Xion alone while he took Kairi back, so he needed to wait until Roxas could stay with her.

Of course, when Roxas made it back, Lea would owe him a few explanations. He did promise. And he would have to explain more than just what happened with Xion. He would have to explain to them about everything. The book that he picked up, "My Changing Body," might give them plenty of general information. But they would have _questions_. They always had questions and he would need to answer them. The book would only delay the inevitable.

Suddenly, he was dreading Roxas's return.

* * *

Isa closed the door behind him, rubbing the back of his neck. Ansem the Wise provided him with a room in the castle for as long as he wanted to stay, along with a surprisingly generous stipend for his use to furnish it however he might want and a high wage for his help that practically reeked of guilt. It wasn't much of a room, but it was a small space to call his own. A bed, a desk, a chair, a dresser for his meager collection of clothes, and a small green rug so that he didn't have to immediately step on the cold stone floor in the morning. Plain and practical, just like him. But the important thing was that it gave him a place to rest at the end of the day when he needed to get away from everyone else.

Though it might not be his room for much longer. There had been discussions about setting up a secondary location. With most of their current resources in the lab being gradually dedicated towards the work on Naminé's future body, a project that would take months to complete, Ienzo suggested making use of the computer systems and pods that they left in the Old Mansion in Twilight Town. They could borrow one of the pods to house the replica during the construction process and have the computer work on unscrambling some of the corrupted files, freeing Tron up to focus on system security again. And it never hurt to have a backup.

But before they could properly utilize the secondary site, someone would have to work on restoring the old building. It wasn't decrepit or on the verge of collapse, but most of it could use some work if they wanted to consider it truly habitable. Hard work and patience. The project would keep them busy for a while.

And while Isa did intend to keep searching for clues about the long-missing girl, he did see the appeal of working on a physical project. There was something reassuring about having a goal where he could make tangible and noticeable progress. Fixing the mansion was one such goal. And he could stay there during the restoration process. Living in Twilight Town would make it easier to see Lea more often than his calls on the Gummiphone or a visit once a week.

He missed his friend.

Of course, as soon as he decided to move to Twilight Town, he wouldn't be able to avoid Roxas and Xion any longer. Isa would have to face them and all of his past crimes against the children. He didn't look forward to that confrontation. Not even slightly. But it had to be done.

Isa couldn't put it off forever.

He wandered over to his bed, sitting on the edge. Isa reached up to tug at the zipper. But before he could shuck off his jacket, an insistent jingle interrupted.

Isa expected to see Lea when he answered his Gummiphone. What he didn't expect to see was his friend holding it up while burying his face into a pillow.

"Rough day," asked Isa, raising an eyebrow.

Lea groaned into the pillow. Add a yellow checkered bandana around his neck and it would be exactly the same as his teenage years, with Lea complaining dramatically about their homework assignment or Aeleus catching them yet again trying to sneak into the castle or even the time that they were out of sea-salt ice cream for a week and he refused to try any other flavor on principle. Isa waited patiently until Lea slowly raised his head.

"Xion's started puberty."

Frowning, Isa said, "Since her appearance is based on Kairi and she had already started to develop physically, I am fairly certain Xion is already in the middle of puberty."

Groaning dramatically again, this time without the pillow to muffle the sound, Lea said, "No, I mean the rest of it. Even's new replicas are much more human than her old body. She's a normal human girl and that includes all the complicated parts of puberty."

Isa almost asked for a better explanation of what he meant, but he could connect the dots. And he could mentally work out a general idea of what happened with Xion. It must have been a very awkward day for everyone involved.

"How did that conversation go?" he asked.

"Kairi gave her some basic information, but mostly just on what's happening to her at the moment," said Lea. "Not the rest. Not why those changes happen or what they mean or…"

He groaned as he dropped his head back down on the pillow again. Isa waited patiently until Lea eventually gathered up the willpower to look at the Gummiphone again.

"I gave Xion and Roxas a book to read," he continued. "It seemed to explain all the body part names, even for the inner organs. And it talks about the different changes. Deepening voices, body hair, and so on. But that will only delay things for a little while. They'll ask questions. Lots of questions."

"Someone will have to give them _the Talk_ ," said Isa. "And that is typically the job of a child's parents or guardian."

The next groan was the longest, loudest, and overly melodramatic one yet. It took a lot for Isa not to grin at his behavior or at least roll his eyes. Over a decade later and not even slightly more mature.

"I don't want to give them the Talk," he complained tiredly. "Can you do it? You're older than me."

"By one year."

"That still counts."

Keeping his expression completely stoic, Isa said calmly, "I'm sorry. I can't hear you. Something must be wrong with the Gummiphone."

Lea narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. Isa refused to let his expression change. He refused to react. But Lea knew him better than that.

"You big liar. There's nothing wrong with the Gummiphone," he said, glaring through the screen.

"Still can't hear you. I think I'm losing the signal."

"Isa," he said, sounding like he was trying to be annoyed while also fighting back laughter, "don't do it. Don't you dare."

"Such a shame about the Gummiphones. So unreliable."

"Isa, I swear I'll—"

A quick press of the button and Isa ended the call. Then he started laughing. A full-body laugh that shook his shoulders and left him falling back on the bed, his face hurting from the size of his smile. He hadn't laughed like that in a very long time.

Isa knew that he would pay for that the next time that he saw Lea, but it was worth it. He had faith that Lea could handle the situation. It wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be. He wasn't panicking when he called Isa. Merely complaining and groaning about it. Isa knew Lea. That meant that everything was fine. And it also meant that Isa could laugh about his dramatics without guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Lea. These half-pints are yours and that comes with certain responsibilities. And those include explaining to them about the Facts of Life. But at least you're past the more traumatic part of it now.
> 
> Also, yes, I did the research on which teas work well for helping with those issues. Ginger tea is described as a slightly spicy tea that boasts a tingling flavor and works best for cramps. Raspberry leaf tea has robust flavor similar to that of a fruity and tart black tea. It's a full-bodied tea and features a delightfully sweet aroma. Peppermint tea is an invigorating tea and chamomile tea is famous for its natural calming and sedative effects. But all are supposed to be at least semi-helpful in their own way.


	8. Late-Night Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad that most people seemed to enjoy the last chapter. The conversation between Isa and Lea at the end seemed to be a favorite for the majority. Hopefully you'll continue to like this fic as we keep moving forward.

There was an interesting optical illusion that all the local kids thought was the weirdest and most amazing trick. It had to do with the way that the sun reflected off the ocean, bending the light at just the right angle.

Except for in the very early morning, it was impossible to see the main island from the play island. It was like the larger island didn't exist or was invisible. Which gave the kids a sense of being alone and on their own while they ran across their domain.

And in reverse, the play island couldn't be seen at dawn from the main island. But the rest of the time, the play island looked much closer than it actually was. Which could be annoying when you were trying to row out to it and your arms were tired, but the rest of the time it was neat.

It was a strange optical illusion. The teachers gave them a simplified explanation when they first started school. But Riku missed the more complicated and scientific description that they provided when the students were older. It was apparently during the time frame that he was gone. He'd missed a lot of school by being off world. He was actually repeating a grade because of how long he was gone.

While none of the three of them spent as much time anymore on the Destiny Islands in general and the play island specifically, at least not since the first time that they left their world, Riku still occasionally found himself drawn there. There was a familiarity to it that was sometimes comforting. They'd spent a lot of time there, running and climbing over every inch of the island. They'd explored every part of it.

Where once that familiarity was suffocating, he now appreciated the comfort of knowing his home world that well. He remembered climbing every tree. He remembered scrambling and running along the obstacle course that they'd set up. He remembered the creeping into the darker secret place where untold numbers of kids over the years had scribbled drawings on the rocks. He remembered where it was safe to swim and where it wasn't, the places that were blocked off by boards as warnings or how just a little past the small islet it would suddenly drop off and every parent warned about the undertow. Riku almost knew the play island better than the main island.

But as comforting as it might feel to be there, it also felt wrong now. It felt wrong being there alone. There should have been three of them perched on the small islet. They should be together, like when they were younger.

But he was alone, leaning against the tree as he stared out at the ocean. Sora was gone. Gone and they were left with only the faintest idea of how to get him back.

They only had a few separate pieces of the overall puzzle and were seeking out more. Jiminy Cricket mentioned that the youngest version of Xehanort talked about Sora being doomed to a dark abyss. If he meant that literally, then that would hint at him ending up somewhere in the Realm of Darkness. But it was rare that any form of Xehanort was that straight forward when it came to telling someone anything useful. If he meant the warning metaphorically, then Sora could be anywhere. The connections to Roxas, Xion, and Ventus were either gone or weakened until they couldn't be detected. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus were gathering books from their library and Master Yen Sid scoured his ancient tomes. And Riku knew that Mickey was searching some of the closest worlds for hints alongside Donald and Goofy.

Riku found himself doing the same thing on the weekends.

Guilt burned in his chest almost constantly. Riku and Kairi knew that Sora had a tendency to risk everything for his friends. He'd done it before. They'd sat there the day before the battle, watching the sunset and talking about how they needed to keep an eye on him. But even knowing that Sora might try something reckless, they didn't protect him. They didn't do anything and now he was gone.

They had to get him back. Sora had saved them more times than he could count. Riku would never forgive himself if they couldn't bring him home.

A faint scraping sound made Riku turn his head, spotting Kairi climbing onto the bent tree. He hadn't even noticed her rowing to the island. He must have been more distracted by his thoughts than he expected.

"Did you come here right after school?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged and said, "At least I didn't skip class completely. My parents might be willing to let Kiru stay at home for now, but they want at least one version of their son to finish school."

"It is nice that we're in the same classes now."

"Because I was held back a year."

"Well, that's what happens when you miss an entire year of school because you were running around in a black coat and a blindfold. You could have at least stopped by at some point to let me or your family know that you were all right."

Shifting awkwardly, Riku muttered, "It didn't feel right coming home without Sora. It would have felt like I was giving up or that I'd failed." He briefly clenched his hand in a fist at his side before letting the tension bleed out of him again. "How are Axel and the others? Any more problems since then?"

Kairi accepted the change of topic without question. She shook her head, turning her gaze back towards the horizon. She hadn't explained much about what happened a few days ago. Kairi just came back and claimed that Xion needed some advice. But Selphie made Lea's arrival sound very dramatic and impressive.

She also mentioned that the tall red-head was "hot" in a "bad boy" kind of way, but Selphie had a tendency lately to develop crushes on almost anyone. Riku was simply thankful that she hadn't developed one on him.

"I called Axel yesterday to check on them," she said. "Everyone seems fine now. How about the others? Have you heard anything?"

Crossing his arms, Riku said, "Terra contacted me. They are adjusting to everything still. It's been a long time for them, but they're coping. And Isa asked me if I could help him move a few things with the Gummi Ship in a couple of days or so. They want to do some renovations and improvements to the Old Mansion in Twilight Town."

"Well," she said slowly, "I'm sure that Axel will appreciate having him on the same world. The other two might need some time to get used to the idea though." Leaning forward, Kairi asked, "Did you and Roxas talk? About everything that happened?"

Riku grimaced slightly. He didn't regret doing everything possible to bring Sora back when Naminé needed to straighten out his memories. But he did regret what his actions did to Roxas and Xion. They didn't deserve that. He would never be able to undo what happened, even if they were back now. He should have tried to find another way. And part of him dreaded talking about those mistakes with Roxas or Xion.

He'd made a lot of mistakes over the last several years. Confronting them never got any easier or less painful.

"You know that you owe him a proper apology," she said gently.

"I know I do." Pausing briefly, Riku added, "I also owe him 5000 munny."

Dropping off the tree trunk, Kairi asked, "What?"

"In the simulation," he said uncomfortably. "I… stole it from him?"

"Riku," said Kairi sharply.

"DiZ said we couldn't let them go to the beach. He didn't program one because it would give the Dusks another way in. So I had to stop them. The simplest way to do it without hurting anyone was to keep them from buying train tickets. So I took his munny."

" _Riku_."

And that turned out to be the breaking point. Of all the things that happened and all the mistakes that he'd made since the moment that he accepted the invitation into darkness in order to have the power to leave home, this was what Kairi decided to scold him about. Riku stealing data munny from a simulated world. Maybe it was the stress and guilt, but the absurdity of the entire thing made him snort. Then a quiet chuckle followed before gaining enough strength to transform into actual laughter.

He laughed and Kairi shoved his shoulder, joining in with some giggling of her own. They kept laughing until Riku lost his balance and collapsed on the ground. Kairi quickly followed. By that point, they weren't even laughing about anything specific. They were laughing simply because they were laughing.

It was the kind of ridiculous moments that would have left Sora beaming next to them, barely able to contain his own laughter. It made Riku miss their friend even more. And that thought finally made his laughter die down.

Kairi took a moment longer to realize that he'd stopped. But then she fell silent too, a concerned frown forming.

"Riku," said Kairi, nudging him. Uncertain, she said quietly, "If you're…"

Kairi fell silent, biting her lower lip. Then she leaned against his side. They sat on the ground in silence for a few moments. They couldn't see the main island at that time of day, the optical illusion ensured that, so there was nothing blocking their view of the sunset currently.

"We're allowed to be happy," she said finally. "We can laugh. We can smile. Sora wouldn't want us to stop living just because he's missing. Laughing or having a nice day with your other friends doesn't mean that you've given up on finding him."

Smiling weakly, Riku said, "I know."

It just didn't feel like it sometimes.

* * *

_Saïx was fighting. Fast and brutal. Instinctively fighting with no thought or strategy. Trapped in the power and rush of his Berserk state._

_His opponent was a thin and agile thing, twisting and dodging. But he could not let it escape. And more importantly, it would not get past him. He must stop his opponent from getting past him. It wanted something deeper in the castle. He could not allow it to reach its goal._

_Saïx swung his claymore, but he couldn't seem to land a solid blow. The opponent refused to stay still. It spun metal circles with flames. Blocking and deflecting his weapon when it couldn't move out of the way fast enough. It was strong, but he was stronger physically. It hit hard when it landed a strike and its flames were vicious things. But his Berserk state ensure that he barely noticed or cared. He kept pushing forward._

_Stop the opponent. Destroy the opponent._

_His claymore twisted and sliced through the air. The weapon smashed down, cracking the floor beneath them when he missed. Each blow was meant to be fatal and final. Destructive and deadly as the Nobody wielding the claymore. If he could land a proper hit, the battle would be over._

_His opponent suddenly dashed forward. A powerful punch to his jaw, metal and flesh landing the blow. Hard enough to knock Saïx to the ground. Too stunned to immediately moved._

_Then it stopped fighting. It assumed that he was unconscious from the strike. It turned its attention away from Saïx, intent on heading deeper into the castle. A mistake._

_Saïx flung himself to his feet and swung his weapon hard. The claymore connected, burying deeply into his opponent's side. Driving out a broken gasp of shock and pain._

_Only then did details of his opponent register. Details that finally made it through that battle haze of his Berserk state._

_A black coat. Red hair. Twin chakrams dissolving away._

_A familiar figure facing away from him, the claymore cutting deep into him and nearly slicing him in half._ _**Saïx's** _ _claymore._

_Axel._

_His claymore was buried into Axel._

_**No.** _

_With another choking gasp, Axel staggered away a few steps while clutching at his wound. And then Axel turned slightly, looking at him with eyes dulled with pain and shocked betrayal. Silently asking why Saïx did that to him._

_Saïx wanted to dismiss his weapon. He wanted to stop, beg for forgiveness, and find a way to heal the deep wound that he'd caused. But he took a step towards Axel, as if part of him still wanted to finish the job. The claymore was still in his hand as he lifted his arm._

_Flames flared up, summoned by the wounded Nobody. Separating Saïx from Axel as he stumbled back a few steps. Clutching at his side, he managed to summon a dark corridor. Gasping and his eyes never leaving Saïx even as he kept his defensive barrier of fire under control, Axel moved backwards towards his escape route._

_Then, as he stepped back into the dark corridor, Saïx noticed thin tendrils of nothingness flaking off the injury._

_Axel was starting to fade away. To dissolve into nothingness._

_Saïx finally regained control of himself enough to throw himself through the flames after him. But the dark corridor was already closing. Taking his dying best friend with him._

_No. He couldn't let it happen. Axel couldn't die._

_No. No._ _**No.** _

Isa bolted upright, a shout of absolute horror dying in his throat. His hand fumbled in the dark for the object that he needed. His fingers shook as he poked at the screen. He couldn't think past the deafening pounding in his chest and ears. He was frantic. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be real.

Some of his scrambled thoughts began to settle as the Gummiphone rang. Then Isa felt foolish. It was just a nightmare. It never happened. But before he could hang up, someone answered.

"Isa?" said Lea in a groggy, confused, and increasingly concerned voice. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called," he said quietly.

"No, it's fine. And don't apologize."

Isa could see him yawn on the screen before dragging a hand down his face, looking more coherent by the moment. Lea was obviously in bed, his head resting on a pillow as he held the Gummiphone above him. It was yet another reminder that he'd just woke his friend up over a dumb nightmare in the middle of the night. He didn't even wake up his own parents over nightmare after he was six years old. Isa's initial horror was being replaced by guilt and embarrassment as Lea studied his expression.

"You're safe," said Lea firmly. "You're alive. You're real. _We're_ safe, alive, and real. It was just a nightmare."

The calm and practiced words shouldn't have been as comforting as they were. But there was something grounding about them. Perhaps it was just his tone of voice. Or perhaps it was because Lea was alive to say them.

If Lea was talking to him, then the nightmare hadn't come true. He hadn't killed his best friend.

Isa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was just a nightmare. A figment of his imagination and nothing more.

"What do you need?" he continued softly. "It might take me a little while to get there, but I can head over to Radiant Garden if that's what you need."

He shook his head and said, "No, I'm fine. I shouldn't have woken you up. I'm sorry for that."

"No apologizing for nightmares. That's the new rule," said Lea. "Besides, you weren't the first tonight."

He tilted the Gummiphone first one way and then in the other direction. Isa watched the screen as Lea revealed that Roxas and Xion were curled on either side of him. The pair were sleeping. Clearly undisturbed by the quiet conversation.

"They had a rough night too," said Lea. "I think Xion's nightmare had to do with Larxene's knives, but Roxas didn't talk about his." He turned the screen back towards his face. "See? You didn't wake me up."

Isa didn't know how to respond to that. Even if Lea was already awake, he felt bad about disturbing him over nothing.

The nightmare was awful, but it wasn't real. He never killed his friend. Not even when Xemnas was pushing them to fight during the Keyblade War. They'd fought at different points, but Axel or Lea always managed to walk away from those fights. Even the fights that Isa couldn't remember clearly because of his Berserk state always ended with them both surviving.

He never killed his friend. It was the other Nobodies and his fire attack on them that made Axel fade away the first time. And Saïx managed to banish his claymore before he could finish Lea off in their most recent fight. The nightmare was nothing more than his imagination conjuring up his worst fears. Nothing worth getting worked up over.

But he didn't want to dwell on that nightmare. He didn't want to think about the idea of his weapon buried deep into Lea's side. He didn't want to think about how real it felt in that dream, almost like a memory if he didn't know better. His imagination was too good. Isa would rather focus on anything else. Anything other than that vivid nightmare. And he eventually settled on something to distract himself away from that.

"Are you three wearing matching pajamas?" he asked.

Lea snorted quietly. The more that Isa studied the screen, the more certain that he was. Identical white t-shirts on all three of them. A bit plain in style. Certainly more plain than the blue plaid-patterned pajamas that Isa chose.

"Their normal clothes are a bit more interesting," said Lea quietly, "but at least the t-shirts and shorts are comfortable. And yes, they match."

Isa considered what else to say to him. He should probably mention that he would be heading to Twilight Town soon. It would be a nice surprise, but not one that he should risk springing on Roxas and Xion. On the other hand, it was probably not a conversation that they should have in the middle of the night. And when he saw Lea trying to smother a yawn, he knew that he was right.

And now that the lingering panic from the nightmare had faded completely, his own weariness was creeping back in.

"Doing better?" asked Lea, his voice still low.

Nodding, Isa said, "I'm fine now. I should let you get back to sleep."

"Try to get some sleep too. It's late and you look tired."

Sleeping should be easier now. Seeing Lea alive and whole helped banish that previous fear. Isa shouldn't have any more trouble with that nightmare.

He would never hurt his friend like that. He wouldn't kill his best friend, even in the depths of his brutal Berserk state. It would never happen. Isa comforted himself with that knowledge.

* * *

He threw the twin burning circles through the air, sending them flying towards the large Heartless. They struck hard at its small head before returning to Lea's hand, transforming back into his Keyblade. Then he dashed forward.

The round, large, and tough Heartless could be tricky to handle. Fat Bandits, rather similar to the sturdy Large Bodies, were nearly invulnerable except for their heads. The main difference between the two varieties was that the Fat Bandits wore orange vests and had a tendency to breathe fire at their opponents.

He'd fought a lot of these things over the years. Fire was less of a threat to Lea than most things. They also left behind a reasonable amount of munny when destroyed. That made them decent Heartless for him to deal with currently. And the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah tended to hide plenty of Fat Bandits.

Lea watched the Heartless take a deep breath as he ran towards it. And at the last second, he twisted out of the way of the stream of fire and leapt up. He swung his Keyblade down hard and the Fat Bandit shattered apart. The freed heart floated away while Lea leaned down to scoop up the munny.

He mentally counted his funds. While they weren't in trouble, Lea had burned through a surprising amount of munny during the last month. Getting their new lives started was expensive. And even though he was tired and could use a nap, Lea knew that he should keep going longer. They could use the extra funds.

Besides, the half-pints would still be in school for a couple more hours. He needed the distraction.

Lea knew that there was treasure hidden in the Cave of Wonders. Gold and gemstones piled together. He hadn't explored the place as often as Roxas and Xion, but he'd had a few missions in there before the end. But he also knew better than to risk curses or traps by going after the treasure itself. Fighting Heartless was safer, even if it was more time consuming.

He had a little time left. He just couldn't risk staying too long. Otherwise he would be late meeting the half-pints after school. What Lea needed was a more powerful Heartless who would drop more munny when he destroyed it. Stronger opponents meant bigger rewards and faster results. And finding stronger Heartless would involve heading deeper into the Cave of Wonders.

Lea balance Flame Liberator on his shoulder and walked towards the entrance to the next chamber. The various parts of the cave had a tendency to change over time. Sometimes from semi-natural causes like sections collapsing, but other times it seemed to happen with very little warning. Different passages hidden and revealed. A variety of switches to trigger new paths. That was what happened when someone decided to explore a mystical cavern. It would be easy to get lost among the flickering torches and underground rivers if he didn't pay attention. And every time that Lea thought he'd learned the new arrangement, he discovered a new secret.

As he stepped into one of the larger chambers of the vast cave system, Lea heard a _clang_ of armor and immediately dove to the side. There was a swish of air from the punch barely missing him. Then Lea twisted around to spy another large and round Heartless. One protected by red and gray armor.

It took him a moment to remember the less common sub-variety, but he identified the Heartless as a Solid Armor. Essentially a tougher and more durable Large Body. It didn't even have the threat of fire that a Fat Bandit would. But it should still be stronger. Which meant it was more likely to provide a decent amount of munny when he destroyed it.

Spinning his Keyblade in his hand, Lea waited patiently. Getting too close risked a punch or getting swiped. No fire breath, but they could hit hard. Patience was his ally. He needed to wait for his opening.

And then he saw it.

The Solid Armor leapt up high. And right before it landed, he jumped over the shockwave towards the Heartless now helpless on its stomach. Lea unleashed a flurry of fast combos before finishing with a flash of fire. Then Lea hurried backwards and out of reach.

Almost out of reach.

Lea didn't manage to brace himself in time. A large fist slammed into his stomach, knocking both the wind out of him and sending him flying back. And he immediately crashed roughly into the wall. Pain exploded across his back.

Gasping desperately to regain his breath, Lea barely kept his feet under him. _Stupid_. He should have been able to dodge that. A lack of sleep was murdering his reaction time. But that's what happened when he was faced with Roxas, Xion, and Isa having nightmares all on the same night. He shouldn't have pushed his luck with tougher Heartless. And now his back was going to be one giant bruise.

He jerked sideways just in time to avoid the Heartless sliding towards him. Like a kid sledding down a snowy hill, but more lethal. But with Lea dodging out of the way, it crashed into the wall. Which gave Lea the opening that he needed. Spinning the Keyblade briefly in his grip, he struck hard and fast. He linked together a series of rapid spinning combos. He didn't give the Heartless a chance to climb to its feet or retaliate. Being the Organization's assassin for so long meant that he could be brutal and vicious when necessary.

And when the Solid Armor tried to break free and shove itself up, Lea fell back on his specialty. Fire swirled around the Heartless in a bright explosion of heat and light. Enough that even that particular variation of Heartless couldn't withstand it. The creature shattered just as the fire died down.

Breathing hard, worn out, and aching from the fight, Lea smiled. There was a decent amount of munny and a Lightning Gem left behind. He tried not to wince when he leaned over to collect his reward. His back was going to be very colorful by morning. But compared to his now-thankfully-healed ribs, it was more annoying than hindering. He might need to use some of his hard-earned munny to restock some potions though.

"Guess it's quitting time for the day," he muttered. "Advantages of being self-employed, after all."

Lea tossed his Keyblade up on his shoulder. Then he summoned up a dark corridor. He needed to head back to Twilight Town and get cleaned up. The half-pints would be getting out of class before too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that it wasn't the most exciting chapter, but not every moment is going to be dramatic. And to be fair, I intended originally to have a few more scenes in this chapter. Then I realized it would be too long and it would work out better to split it up. But I hope that you guys liked it regardless.


	9. Bullying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter decided to be stubborn and fought me a lot. But I managed to get it written regardless. I hope that you enjoy it.

While he certainly enjoyed spending time with his friends, there were certain things that Pence liked that they weren't as excited about. Investigating the strange and mysterious phenomena around Twilight Town was one such example. He always hoped to find at least one real Wonder. And if he wanted to be honest, he did technically have one thing that he could almost consider a Wonder: everyone and everything connected to Sora and his friends.

No one knew where he came from or where he'd apparently disappeared to now. Just like no one knew where Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Ienzo were from. And even Roxas, Xion, and Lea were connected to Sora and equally mysterious. They knew that Roxas came from another Twilight Town, but Pence wasn't convinced that the other two were from that same place. He was currently building a theory that there must be at least a third world out there. One where the other strange people were from. And they might even use those dark portal things to move between the different worlds since both Kairi and Lea-when-he-was-evil showed up through them. Pence had an entire notebook in his room where he was collecting his information about all of these mysterious things, but he wasn't ready to bring any of it forward. And he certainly wasn't ready to ask Roxas or Xion about it.

But in addition to his investigations, Pence had a fondness when it came to computers. He liked tinkering with them and exploring the possibilities. The only problem was that the others didn't understand his fascination. They supported him, but they didn't feel the same way.

But Pence had a new long-distant friend who shared his interest in science, technology, and computer. And he would occasionally send Pence small tasks that he could help with over the shared network. Mostly tedious and easy tasks, but ones that Ienzo assured him was helpful to whatever big project he was working on.

And on the days where the others were busy or no one had any real plans for what they wanted to do, it was easy enough for Pence to head to the Old Mansion and access the computer system. There were advantages to knowing about a secret high-tech underground lab.

They'd finally repaired the crack in the wall surrounding the town, but Pence knew there were other ways out. A quick trip through the Underground Conduit would bring him out to the forest, as long as he didn't mind the smell. It wasn't as nice as the actual Underground Concourse with the path to the Sunset Terrace, but the Underground Conduit wasn't exactly meant for the public.

Not many people went to the forest anymore regardless. No one wanted to risk spending time there. There were dark monsters with yellow eyes lurking in the shadows. Different than the white squiggly things, but still dangerous. They didn't always attack, but it was a constant threat to keep in mind. And they were yet another reason why Pence didn't head to the Old Mansion more often than he did. It wasn't safe.

Though he had noticed that the creatures seemed to show up more back when Sora was in town. Almost like they were attracted to the boy. Or his Keyblade.

Definitely something to ask about sometime in the future. And another observation for Pence to add to his notebook when he got home.

The Old Mansion was a mysterious place. No one seemed to remember who used to live there. The building simply existed beyond the town limited, abandoned and nearly forgotten. A constant feature that had been there for as long as anyone could recall. People rarely thought about it. Except for kids telling the occasional ghost story about it and the Wonder of Twilight Town that turned out to be a white curtain instead of a mysterious pale figure, there was no real reason to think about the place.

It was there. Old, empty, and in relatively good shape for its age. Some of the stone structures out front had collapsed, but there weren't any leaks in the room, collapsing floors, or crumbling walls. Even the numerous unicorn carvings and such were intact. And there were a lot of unicorns when Pence actually started poking around and looking. Whoever built the place or lived there previously clearly liked the creatures. But for as long as Pence could remember, he did not recall anyone ever mentioning who actually built the Old Mansion or who might have once called it home.

Perhaps not one of the Wonders of Twilight Town, but at least a mystery. Like Sora, Roxas, and all the others were a mystery.

But the important thing was that the Old Mansion had been more or less abandoned for ages. And weird stuff happened there. Hidden labs. A portal to an alternate Twilight Town. Scary men in black coats. Which meant that anything new or different about the place was bound to be interesting.

Which was why Pence was both surprised and excited when he stepped out of the forest and discovered stacks of crates outside of the building.

Naturally, Pence couldn't resist immediately poking his head into some of those crates. He couldn't help it. The temptation was too strong. Investigating was in his nature. And while some of them seemed to contain books and stacks of paper, others held computer equipment. Very expensive-looking, high-tech equipment. Stuff far beyond any technology that Pence had ever seen outside of the secret lab. Part of him wanted to snatch up some of the equipment and mess around with it.

Not exactly _steal_ it. Just… borrow some of it. He'd bring it back. Eventually. No one would have a chance to miss it. Not with all those other boxes.

"And what do you think that you are doing?"

Pence jumped, scrambling away from the crates and stammering out apologies. A tall figure strolled out of the Old Mansion. Long blue hair, scars across his face, and a calculating frown, he didn't look familiar. Certainly no one that Pence had seen growing up. Yet another mysterious stranger connected to the Old Mansion

At least he wasn't wearing one of the Black Coats of Kidnapping.

The strangers suddenly hesitated, studying Pence carefully. His frown deepened for a moment.

"You… seem vaguely familiar. Not the one of the individuals that Sora defended from the Nobodies, but I've seen you around the town," he said quietly.

"You know Sora?"

Nodding briefly, he said, "Not as well as some. Our paths have crossed a few times."

A stranger who knows Sora. While it didn't technically mean anything, it fit the pattern. Unusual people who show up without warning who know Sora? That fit the description of the others. People like Kairi, Roxas, Xion, and Lea. And since those four also knew each other, then…

"Are you another friend of Roxas?"

Grimacing, the young man said, "Not exactly. We've had a… difficult history. I have made mistakes in regard to Roxas and Xion… and Lea. I am here partially to try and make up for those mistakes."

"Well, if you're at least trying to be better, then I'm sure they'll forgive you someday." Reaching out a hand, he said, "My name is Pence. Nice to meet you."

He smiled wryly. Then he stepped closer, took Pence's hand, and shook it carefully.

"Isa." After a moment, he added, "I believe that Ienzo mentioned you. 'A local contact,' as he described it."

"You know Ienzo?"

"Much better than I know Sora. Ienzo, Even, and Master Ansem are the ones who wanted some work done on site and I volunteered. That is the other reason that I am here."

Pence grinned at the news. It was nice to hear that Master Ansem was doing all right after they rescued him from the other scarier man in black. None of them had heard anything about him since that dramatic rescue.

"So you're here to help fix things up?" asked Pence. "Like just the building or upgrading the systems too? Can I help with anything?"

Isa stared at him thoughtfully for a few moments. Then he gave him a brief nod.

"Riku helped drop everything off, but he needed to head home. If you wish to help move everything inside, I wouldn't be opposed to the assistance. It would make things easier."

Pence took a second or two to glance around at the numerous stacks. The crates came in a variety of sizes. He poked around until he found one that seemed to be a decent size without being too heavy to manage.

"Did you invite the others to help you move in?" he asked, hefting the box into his arms. "I mean, Roxas doesn't like coming out to the Old Mansion. He's mentioned that before. But the others would help." Heading towards the front door, Pence added, "Especially if you pay them or buy them pizza. That's kind of traditional when it comes to helping people move."

Wincing, Isa admitted, "I… haven't told them yet."

" _What?_ " he asked, nearly dropping the crate as he stumbled.

* * *

They'd called it a day earlier than normal. Pence had his own plans for after school and Olette wanted to work on an extra-credit project. While they could have found something to do with Hayner, Roxas and Xion ended up going home instead. They only paused long enough to wave at Gina through her shop window before heading around back towards the stairs.

Roxas made it through the door first, which immediately summoned Lea from his room. He'd clearly just finished getting dressed after a shower. His hair was still damp. The young man grinned at them as the pair hurried inside. Lea took a moment to ruffle their hair before flopping face down on the couch with a tired groan.

Giggling, Xion sat on the edge and said, "Long day?"

"Maybe," he mumbled into the cushion before lifting his head. "And what about you two? Good day at school?"

Roxas shrugged and said, "It was all right. There was some weird math thing that we talked about. Xion was better at it than me."

"I'll help you with it later," she said.

Roxas smiled at her and nodded. He preferred to think about that part of the day. It was better than dwelling on how some of the other students still looked at them strangely or snickered when they asked certain questions. He never knew which questions would get that reaction. And if they didn't ask questions about some of the stuff, then they would risk messing up on the assignments.

Roxas didn't know what the consequences would be for failure on school assignments, though something told him it wouldn't be as serious as what would happen in the Organization if they failed in their purpose. No one would threaten to turn them into a Dusk if they could not prove their use. But he didn't want to find out regardless.

That meant that he and Xion had to ask questions. And that meant that sometimes the other students would snicker, roll their eyes, and scoff at them. Roxas and Hayner spent a lot of time glaring venomously at people. But he didn't want to dwell on that. He would rather look on the bright side. And that meant focusing on Xion's growing confidence and self-esteem every time that their teachers told her that she did something right. Not to mention how they were surrounded by friends in their corner of the classroom, keeping the more judgmental students at a distance.

"How about you two finish your homework now?" suggested Lea. "Get it out of the way early. Then we'll figure out what to eat afterwards."

"You just want to take a nap," said Roxas dryly.

Chuckling under his breath, Lea said, "You caught me."

Before they could tease him further, a cheerful song chirped out. Lea groaned quietly as he sat up and dug around in his pocket. As soon as he pulled out his Gummiphone and answered it, Lea's expression shifted to one of surprise.

"Isa? Everything all right?"

Roxas fought back the scowl that tried to form at the name. He and Xion promised to give him a chance. They would give Isa a second chance despite how much Roxas wanted to beat Saïx's face in. He was Lea's friend once and he did try to help them in the end. Isa would have a lot of work head of him, but they needed to give him that chance. Which meant that Roxas needed to set aside his instinctive anger.

Unfortunately, unlike Ansem the Wise, he couldn't just avoid the man and pretend that he didn't exist.

"I'm quite fine, Lea. I simply have some news that I wanted to share," said Isa. "While things are progressing slowly at the castle, they want someone to work on repairing, updating, and improving the secondary site. And I volunteered for the job."

Frowning as he leaned over Lea's shoulder, Roxas asked, "Secondary site?"

The screen suddenly twisted and moved as someone surprised Isa enough to wrestle his Gummiphone away. There was a muffled question from the young man before the screen seemed to settled. Then an unexpected face popped into view.

"He's moving into the Old Mansion," said Pence. "He's going to fix up the place. And judging by some of the stuff he's packed, I think he's planning to stay for quite a while."

"Pence? What are you doing?" asked Roxas.

Grinning, he said, "I'm helping him move a few boxes in. Then I was going to get on the computer and check on a few things that Ienzo was talking about last time."

Roxas began to strongly regret never telling his friends the whole story about his and Xion's past. Part of it was the habits that the Organization drilled into him about keeping a low profile and secrecy and another part of it was because everyone talked about the world order thing. But he really wished that he'd at least warned his friends about Isa and some of the others. Roxas hoped that Pence didn't somehow end up best friends with Isa because no one needed that extra complication.

Abruptly the screen jerked again as Isa plucked the Gummiphone from the boy's hands. Xion joined them to crowd around the small device. Sparing her a concerned look, Roxas leaned against her in an attempt to comfort her. Saïx was always worse to her than he was to Roxas. He didn't want her to get upset.

"You're moving to Twilight Town?" asked Lea.

Nodding, Isa said, "Yes. At this very moment."

"When did you plan to tell us?"

"When it became relevant. Which is obviously now."

"And you couldn't mention this last time that we talked?" said Lea with a small laugh.

Roxas took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As much as he still wanted to beat Isa up, knocking the man to the far side of Twilight Town and back again with his Keyblades, Roxas had to admit that it seemed to make Lea happy. His face split into a bright smile at the idea of his oldest friend being on the same world. And he and Xion wanted Lea to be happy. That was part of the reason why they were giving Isa a second chance.

Roxas exchanged looks with Xion. The silent communication left them both in agreement. They could deal with Isa existing in Twilight Town. Neither of them spent much time near the Old Mansion and it would be easy to keep their distance if they spotted him in town. A temporary solution, but one that was manageable.

Their paths would cross eventually. He was quite aware that they couldn't avoid Isa forever. But maybe a little while longer.

* * *

The Gummiphones were handy devices overall. Portable and durable methods of communication that worked between different worlds. Definitely useful for a group who tended to be scattered around and who ended up fighting something dangerous almost constantly. There were numerous perks to the things.

Unfortunately, they were limited to contacting other Gummiphones. Which meant that when Ileana tried to contact Lea, she didn't have much luck. Especially since their apartment didn't have a telephone. There was no direct way for the principal to contact him. A rather serious oversight. Lea didn't even know anything was wrong until Gina was there waiting for him when he returned to the building.

Thank goodness that he did provide her shop's phone number when he was filling out all the paperwork to register the half-pints for school. It was clearly the smartest decision that he'd made that day.

By the time that he made it to the school, Lea found a small crowd outside the principal's office. Roxas and Xion were perched on a pair of chairs, unharmed and annoyed. A fact that immediately reassured Lea. The anxiety that had blossomed the moment that Gina told him that something was wrong eased and the beating in his chest slowed.

But in addition to the half-pints, he could spot their new trio of friends and a few adults who must be their various parents judging by the way they were glaring at the kids. He could tell that he was arriving towards the end of some lectures. All the teenagers looked a little scuffed up and in various states of emotional discomfort.

And a short distance away from the others was another teenage boy and a frustrated mother. Not anyone that Lea recognized. He wore a red jacket and his black hair was a bit on the longer side. And he was at least close to the same age as the local trio that Roxas and Xion befriended. But the dark-haired teenager was nursing a black eye, a busted lip, and disheveled clothes. And he refused to meet anyone's gaze, including his unhappy parent.

Lea glanced between the strange boy and his half-pints a few times. Then, once he was certain, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fighting?" he asked.

"Yep," said Hayner proudly, earning a sharper glare from his mother.

"Did he deserve it?"

Crossing his arms, Roxas muttered darkly, "Yes."

Lea didn't have to ask who won. Nor did he have to ask if Roxas and Xion held back. If either of them went after the teenage boy with their Keyblades and magic, they would have left behind far more damage than a back eye. Considering this would be their first fight against an opponent who _wasn't_ actually that dangerous, they'd done a good job at not mangling the kid.

"Vincent did _not_ deserve to be ganged up on like that," said the boy's mother sharply. Then, glaring at the now-identified teenager, she added, "Though we will be discussing some of his behavior when we get home. You _know_ better. I did not raise you to act like that."

"To be fair," said Olette quietly, "Pence and I weren't really fighting. We were just trying to break it up before someone got hurt."

Before Lea could ask for any further details or the other adults in the room could demand his name, Ileana opened the door. Just as professional and strict as the last time he met the woman. He filed into the room with Roxas and Xion. The half-pints claimed the two waiting chairs while he took up position behind them.

"Getting called to the principal's office," he said. "I would have thought something would have changed over the years. Used to end up in trouble a lot as a kid. Still feels the same."

Sighing tiredly as she moved back behind her desk, Ileana said, "I am afraid that we had a bit of a disturbance today. It took me some time to unravel the sequence of events. From what I've been able to determine, a few students that I haven't identified yet were making some comments. Eventually Vincent said something particularly unkind to Roxas and Xion."

"Unkind" was apparently an understatement based on the way Roxas's hands curled into fists in his lap and Xion clutched her hands to her chest. Lea was already considering what he should do about this Vincent person in retaliation. He could hunt the boy down and set his hair on fire. Or he could drag Vincent into the surrounding forest for Heartless to chase. Or he could toss him to Even and the others for a test dummy.

Lea immediately suppressed a shiver at that idea. No, using the boy as a test subject was not a line he was going to cross. Too many bad memories with that one.

"Roxas lashed out, causing Vincent to retaliate by taking a swing at him. Xion attempted to help and Hayner joined them by tackling Vincent. Pence and Olette became involved soon after. The others students scattered by the time Tackett interfered. Thankfully, the fight didn't last long." Ileana shook her head. "Vincent clearly didn't realize how quickly he would be outnumbered."

Lea nodded, trying to keep a straight face. If that Vincent boy thought that being in a fight with _maybe_ five opponents was tough, with Roxas and Xion purposefully holding back, he would ever survive against a swarm of Heartless.

That meant he would just have to set the boy's hair on fire. It was the only option that would be truly humane.

"Now, Vincent has admitted to provoking them and there were witnesses to this fact," she continued. "And we're willing to overlook a few missteps due to their… special circumstances."

Right. The whole "raised in a cult" thing. That backstory was definitely a good idea. It could excuse almost anything. Lea was increasingly proud of it.

"But we don't want to encourage fighting in our school. I've already spoken with the other parents about today's incident. Vincent's mother isn't happy about his injuries, but she is more upset about his behavior and has promised to handle it appropriately. I reminded her that we have a low tolerance for anything that could be considered bullying. But I want to ensure that you speak with Roxas and Xion about how violence is not always the answer. I don't want a repeat of this incident."

Keeping a straight face after her comment about violence was a challenge. Fighting had been their entire lives prior to moving to Twilight Town. That was not a lesson that was going to stick.

"I'll talk to them," he said carefully.

"Then we'll settle for a warning this time for everyone involved."

Lea recognized a dismissal when he heard one. Or at least a potential exit. And he didn't want to linger any longer than necessary. Ileana might be acting reasonable and understanding, but she was still a principal. Lea's early teenage years had taught him to be wary of them. They could sneak up on him with an unexpected trap to trick Lea into confessing to some form of mischief. It was safe to leave before she could verbally trap them.

By the time that they made it back to the hallway, the rest of the crowd had dispersed. Parents dragging their children off to scold and lecture them. Perhaps with some ending up grounded.

Lea waited until they were outside. He wanted to be certain that there would be no lurking teachers to overhear. And it gave him a chance to see how the half-pints were handling things after Ileana's explanation. He noticed that Roxas and Xion moved a little stiffly, uncertain of what would happen next.

But they relaxed when his hands settled on their shoulders while they walked, squeezing them reassuringly.

"Thanks for not breaking the brat," he said, "but next time… Either let him throw the first punch or wait until you're away from school. It gives you a better defense if anyone gets upset about it. Don't start the fight if you can help it, but you can certainly finish it."

"It felt weird punching someone," said Roxas, flexing his hand with a grimace. "I don't like it as much as using my Keyblades. It hurt."

Glancing towards him, Xion said, "Not as much as it hurt Vincent. He went down hard."

"Do you even know _how_ to punch properly?" asked Lea.

Crossing his arms stubbornly, Roxas said, "Plenty of Heartless have tried punching us. And Sora saw people like Hercules throwing punches." Pausing a moment, he added, "And then there was the time that Lexaeus hit me."

"Wait, what?"

"He was teaching me about Limit Breaks."

Lea shook his head. Note to self: have a serious and clearly overdue conversation with Aeleus.

"Okay," said Lea slowly, "I guess I need to ask so I know how much to terrorize the kid later. What exactly did he say that caused you to try punching him?"

And that question immediately darkened the mood. Roxas glared at the ground as they walked and Xion clutched her clasped hands back to her chest. Lea would definitely be getting them ice cream after this. They needed something to cheer them up.

"He called us _stupid_ ," said Roxas, sharp and quiet.

Eyebrows shooting up, Lea asked, "What?"

"Some of the other kids were talking about all the questions we ask and kind of laughing about it. Then Vincent said something about how we keep asking about things that only idiots don't know," said Xion quietly. "And that we take remedial history because we're too stupid for the normal class with everyone else."

Well, that settled it. Vincent was going on the list of people that Lea needed to burn to death. A full-on, Castle Oblivion-level, Organization's assassin type of assault. Incineration from the inside out.

…Okay, maybe Lea wouldn't murder the brat. But if he ever encountered the boy alone, he could certainly find a way to traumatize Vincent.

He shoved down his anger. Then he tugged both of his half-pints towards the closest place to sit. Which turned out to be the edge of a ramp. Lea took a moment to carefully consider what to say. He needed to handle this right. Because Lea could not let them believe that boy's words for even a moment. This conversation couldn't even wait until they made it up to the clocktower.

"You are both incredibly smart," he said firmly. "Vincent has no idea what he's talking about. None of them do."

Not meeting his eye, Roxas said, "More than just Vincent think that. They just didn't want to stick around long enough to get hit."

"And he's right," added Xion. "We don't know things that everyone else does."

"How old do you think they are? The other kids in your classes?" asked Lea.

"I don't know." Roxas shrugged weakly. "Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"And you two?"

"Well, Sora was about fourteen when he lost his heart, so—"

"Two years old," interrupted Lea, making them both look at him. "You both have existed for about two years. And that's only if you include the time that you spent in Sora's heart. But if you only include the time that you had your own bodies and existences, then it is only a year and a couple of months. I don't know if Roxas is still counting the exact number of days, but that's a rough estimate."

Lea shifted slightly, pausing as he scratched the back of his head. It was hard to believe that he'd only known Roxas and Xion for that long. They'd made such a huge impact to his life.

"I can guarantee that when Vincent was your age, he was still learning his colors and shapes. You can't expect to know everything that it took someone else fifteen years to learn. That doesn't mean either of you are stupid. Not knowing something and asking questions doesn't make anyone stupid. You're just catching up. You take remedial history because you need a little extra help catching up with that specific subject." He smiled encouragingly. "But you're both very smart and you learn fast. They have a head start, but you'll catch up soon."

The smiles that they gave him weren't as strong and bright as Lea would have preferred. But they were actual smiles, which warmed something deep inside. His reassuring words managed to cheer them up. It felt good to get this part right.

"And next time, wait to attack people like Vincent until you're outside of the school. Less chance of upsetting the principal or teachers," he added. "Well, I think we could all use some sea-salt ice cream after that. How about we grab some and head up to the clocktower?" Smirking, Lea suggested, "Or we could try kidnapping that Vincent kid since apparently that's my specialty?"

That comment earned him some groans mixed with laughter before the pair knocked Lea over. Thankfully, his recent Heartless battles had gone well and he wasn't too battered to enjoy the impromptu roughhousing. He simply chuckled as he tried to wrestle Roxas and Xion off. Not that he was trying to hard to get rid of them. Lea was perfectly happy being partially trapped under two wiggling and laughing Keyblade wielders.

Especially since he had long since discovered that the pair were ticklish.

Lea suspected that if he could lift his head away from the squealing and squirming kids, he would probably spot at least someone staring at the spectacle. Roxas and Xion were both trying to keep him pinned while twisting away from his attempts to find ticklish ribs. Their play-fighting in the middle of Twilight Town wasn't exactly subtle, even if they weren't on one of the more populated streets.

But they were laughing and playing. Roxas and Xion were two of the most dangerous people that he'd ever met and they were playing around like actual kids. He couldn't complain about that.

"So just the ice cream then?" asked Lea once he could catch his breath, still chuckling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being a normal kid means dealing with both the good and the bad about the experience. And that includes occasionally other kids being jerks. Teenagers aren't always the nicest people. I'm sure that Vincent will outgrow this stage eventually. But after that reaction, it may take a while before anyone else makes those kinds of comments near Roxas, Xion, or the Twilight Trio.


End file.
